October 6, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

-Left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski (St. Albert, Alta.) is on the Cleveland Guardians’ 26-man post-season roster. So yes, for the first time in major league history, there are four Canadians on the roster of a post-season team. Sabrowski, who had eight scoreless outings, striking out 19 in 12 2/3 innings during the regular season after his call-up on August 28, is in the Guardians’ bullpen in their Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, alongside fellow Canuck Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.). Of course, the Guardians roster, also includes Josh and Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) who are starting for the club at first base and catcher respectively.

-And how did the Canadians do in the first game of the Division Series yesterday afternoon? Smith was completely dominant after entering the game in relief of Guardians starter Tanner Bibee in the fifth inning. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out all four batters he faced and picked up the win. The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame indicated that Smith was the ninth Canadian to register a win in the MLB post-season. At the plate, Josh Naylor was 1-for-4 with a single, a run and an RBI, while his younger brother, Bo, went 0-for-4, but called a shutout behind the plate.

-Thank you to Canadian baseball historian David Matchett for sharing with me that when Smith pitched to Bo Naylor for the Guardians in the game yesterday, they became the first all-Canadian battery in MLB post-season history.

-Speaking of Smith, congratulations to him on being selected as a relief pitcher on Baseball America’s 2024 All-Rookie Team. The Junior National Team alum posted a 6-1 record and a 1.91 ERA, while fanning 103 batters in 75 1/3 innings, in 74 relief appearances for the Guardians during the regular season. The 25-year-old right-hander’s dominance had him listed by Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair as one of six players to watch in the American League Division Series. In the article that was published on Saturday, Blair pointed out that Smith permitted just two of 36 inherited runners to score. That’s the best ratio in the majors. All of this should put him in the conversation for both the American League Rookie of the Year award and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award.

-And if the Guardians are in dire need of a hitter during the Division Series, Sabrowski might be an option to swing the bat. In 2018, Sabrowski made the Canadian Baseball Network’s All-Canadian Third Team as a pitcher after going 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA, while striking out 117 batters in 66 innings, in 12 starts for the NJCAA’s Cloud County Community College T-Birds. In that same year, he was also voted the designated hitter on the Canadian Baseball Network’s All-Canadian Second Team after he batted .355 with 11 home runs, 58 RBIs and 1.138 OPS in 53 games.

-The Cincinnati Reds have hired Terry Francona as their new skipper. He piloted the Boston Red Sox to World Series championships in 2004 and 2007 and also managed the Guardians to an American League pennant in 2016. Francona started managing the Guardians in 2013 when now Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was president of the club. It made me wonder if Shapiro had at least placed a call to see if Francona would be interested in managing the Blue Jays in 2025? Francona has 1,950 wins as a big league manager, which ranks 13th in history. Instead of Francona, the Blue Jays announced earlier this week, they will bring back John Schneider for a fourth season.

-Also, interesting to remember is that Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.), who has managed the Philadelphia Phillies to three consecutive playoff appearances, was interested in managing the Blue Jays back in 2010. Before the Blue Jays hired John Farrell, Thomson, then a New York Yankees coach, had a phone interview for the Blue Jays position. The Blue Jays had another opportunity to interview Thomson before hiring Charlie Montoyo in October 2018.

-Happy 39th Birthday to former big-league pitcher and national team alum Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.)! He retired as a player after pitching for Canada at the WBSC Pan Am Games Americas qualifying tournament in 2023. The crafty southpaw enjoyed a 13-season professional career that included big league stops with the Minnesota Twins, Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, as well as a successful tenure with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League. He also pitched in 10 different tournaments for the Canadian national team and was a member of both Pan Am Games gold medal-winning teams in 2011 and 2015. He is currently the pitching coach of the Saskatoon Berries of the Western Canadian Baseball League.

-Congratulations to former Blue Jays closer Tom Henke who was recently named the President’s Award recipient by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. According to a news release, the award is presented to “individuals who champion the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in general in the Show-Me State.” Henke, who lives in Taos, Mo., has been active in countless charitable endeavors in his home state, including holding an annual golf tournament in Jefferson City that raises money for the Special Learning Center and diabetes research. In Canada, Henke is best known as a former closer with the Blue Jays. In eight seasons with Toronto, he recorded 217 saves – that’s nearly 100 more than Duane Ward who’s second on the club’s all-time list. Henke is also the Blue Jays’ all-time leader (among pitchers that have thrown at least 500 innings) in ERA (2.48), strikeouts per nine innings (10.295), Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP) (1.025) and lowest hits per nine innings (6.570). For his efforts, he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

-Fourteen years ago today, in his post-season debut, Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of their National League Division Series. Halladay allowed just one walk and struck out eight in the game. It was only the second no-hitter in post-season history to Don Larsen‘s perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. You can watch the final out of Halladay’s no-hitter here:

-Former big-league right-hander and Montreal native Paul Calvert was born on this date in 1917. As we watch the Division Series between the Guardians and Tigers, Calvert’s name popped into my head as one of the only Canadians to have played with both franchises. The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander posted a 4.57 ERA in 42 appearances (four starts) in parts of four seasons (1942 to 1945) with Cleveland to begin his career. He capped off his big-league career by making 33 relief appearances with the Tigers in 1950 and 1951. He passed away in 1999. For more on Calvert, you can read Christian Trudeau’s excellent SABR biography about him here.

-If you’re a Canadian baseball history buff (like me), mark November 2nd and 3rd on your calendar. Longtime Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame volunteer and co-founder of the Centre for Canadian Baseball Research Andrew North has announced that the seventh annual Canadian Baseball History Conference will take place at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont., on those dates. This year’s event, which will again be organized by Andrew, will include two days of fascinating presentations on Canadian baseball history. For more information and for a complete list of the presentations, you can click on this link. There is limited seating, so please email Andrew at mavrix247@gmail.com to check if there are still spots available. The registration fee is $50.