February 7, 2024

By J.P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

It took one pitch for Howard “Howie” Birnie to learn that the strike zone is a bit different in the big leagues.

The veteran coach, umpire and baseball executive from Toronto was behind the plate at a Pearson Cup game, the annual midseason exhibition between the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1970s and 80s.

“Jesse Barfield came to bat in the first inning and took a pitch that to me was a perfect strike above the belt. And he said, ‘that was up,’” Birnie recalled.

“And I said, ‘uh oh.’ Because that’s a strike every game I ever umpired.”

Birnie got many more calls right than he missed during his 34 years as an umpire, a career that saw the well-respected official work six national championships, three international championships and two world juniors.

Born in 1937, Birnie’s 70-plus years in amateur baseball as an umpire, coach and executive earned him a spot in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2024, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

“It was stunning. It’s something I never considered,” Birnie told reporters on a conference call.

“Even though I followed in the footsteps of (longtime coach and executive) Carmen Bush, who is an inductee, I could never consider myself to be Carmen’s equal to get this kind of honour.”

Between 1958 and 1988, Birnie led his Toronto teams to seven city championships, clinching a national championship with the Toronto Leaside All-Stars in 1964.

He deflected the suggestion that his coaching acumen was behind that success.

“When I was successful as a coach, it was because I had good players,” Birnie said.

“In 1971, our team won the Ontario junior championship. I had three wonderful pitchers. One went overage, two signed pro, and the next year we didn’t make the playoffs. And I was no smarter or dumber the second year.”

Birnie said he found it illuminating to see the game as a coach and umpire.

“In all the years I umpired, I probably ejected less people than I got ejected myself when I coached. Because I learned it isn’t that easy. I had some empathy with the players and with the coaches,” he said.

“I watched (fellow 2024 CBHOF inductee) Jimmy Key pitch from right behind the plate one night. Not one pitch was straight. Every pitch moved on the corner. When you do amateur baseball, you get a lot of pitches right down the middle or nowhere near, and it makes it easier.”

Despite the occasional grumble from a disgruntled coach or parent, Birnie said he enjoyed his time calling balls and strikes.

“It was almost always fun,” he said. “And I got to do that across Canada and internationally. I made a lot of good friends.”

Birnie was active off the field as well, serving as president of the Leaside Baseball Association since 1973 and as an executive with the Ontario Baseball Association for seven years, including two as president.

He was also president of the Toronto Baseball Association board from 1978 to 1985 and remains an appointed director of the OBA.

The payoff for all those hours spent volunteering was watching the young players under his charge develop into adults.

“From seeing a kid catch his first fly ball all year, the excitement, to last year watching (Leaside’s) girls program – which we didn’t have before – and how much fun they’re having and the parents are having,” Birnie said.

“All that makes it worthwhile being there, and trying to do some little part to give them that opportunity. Because I was given the opportunity, and my idea was always to give back.”

The lifelong volunteer and Ontario Baseball Hall of Fame inductee was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012. To now be joining the baseball luminaries honoured at St. Marys is “beyond my dreams,” Birnie said.

“I’m thrilled, because I’m doing something that I love doing. I wouldn’t have done it all these years if it wasn’t satisfying. And it was always satisfying."