BWDIK: Brash, Delgado, Hicks, Jenkins, Naylor, Pivetta, Pop
Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) homered in three straight games for the Arizona Diamondbacks this week. Photo: MLB.com
April 20, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:
Hicks belts first major league home run
Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) went 4-for-5 and clubbed his first major league home run in the Marlins’ 11-10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Hicks also had four RBIs in the contest.
His first big league homer was a two-run shot off fellow Canadian Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) in the ninth inning.
With his four-hit performance on Saturday, the Toronto Mets alum, who’s in his first big league season, raised his batting average from .179 to .250.
On a less positive note, Romano allowed a career-high six earned runs in 2/3 of an inning. On top of Hicks’s homer, he permitted a three-run homer to Dane Myers. Romano has struggled this season (His ERA is 15.26), but he was coming off three consecutive scoreless outings.
Right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) started for the Marlins, but he didn’t fare much better than Romano. He surrendered seven earned runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings and was saddled with the loss. For the season, he is 1-2 with an 8.31 ERA in 17 1/3 innings in four starts.
Naylor homers in three straight games for Diamondbacks
From Tuesday through Thursday, Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) belted solo home runs in three straight games for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his last six games, the Canadian slugger has gone 8-for-25 (.320 batting average) and bumped his slugging percentage up from .475 to .544.
The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum is in his first season with the D-Backs after being traded to them by the Cleveland Guardians on December 21. In 2024, Naylor registered career-highs in home runs (31) and RBIs (108) in 152 games for the Guardians and was selected to the MLB All-Star Game for the first time.
He is now in his seventh major league season.
Pivetta excellent again for Padres
On Wednesday, San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) limited the Chicago Cubs to one run on four hits, while striking out six, in six innings to earn his third win of the season.
Through four regular season starts with the Padres, Pivetta is 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA and has 24 strikeouts in 23 innings. He has gone at least six innings and allowed one run or less in three of his four starts.
The 32-year-old Canadian signed a backloaded four-year, $55-million contract with the Padres on February 17. A Junior National Team grad, Pivetta has pitched in eight previous major league seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.
Brash has started minor league rehab stint
Last Sunday, Seattle Mariners right-hander Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) began his minor league rehab assignment with the triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He has since thrown scoreless innings in two relief outings. He is expected to make another appearance in the Rainiers’ doubleheader today and if all goes as planned, he’ll return to the M’s bullpen before the end of the month.
Brash underwent Tommy John surgery last May and missed the 2024 season.
In 2023, the 6-foot-1 righty developed into a go-to late-inning reliever for the Mariners. He led major league pitchers with 78 appearances and had a 9-4 record and a 3.06 ERA. He fanned 107 batters in 70 2/3 innings, good for a 13.6 strikeout-per-nine-inning rate.
Pop has signed with Mariners
On top of Brash, the Mariners could soon have another Canadian in their bullpen. They have signed Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) to a minor league contract. Danny Gallagher, of the Canadian Baseball Network, was the first to report the signing.
According to Gallagher, Pop has reported to the M’s minor-league complex in Peoria, Ariz., where he’ll continue to work his way back from the elbow discomfort he experienced near the end of spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays released him on April 2. The 6-foot-4 righty, who signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Blue Jays in January to avoid arbitration, registered a 5.40 ERA in seven relief appearances this spring.
The 2024 campaign was a rough one for Pop. Although he made a career-high 58 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, he recorded a 5.59 ERA in 48 1/3 innings.
In total, the Junior National Team grad posted a 4.89 ERA in 90 appearances for the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Marlins on August 2, 2022.
Langley Blaze and Junior National Team grad Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) returned to the Baltimore Orioles’ lineup on Friday after missing two games with neck soreness. Photo: Baltimore Orioles
O’Neill returns to O’s lineup
Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) returned to the Baltimore Orioles’ lineup on Friday after missing two games with neck soreness. Since his return, he has gone 1-for-8 in two games against Cincinnati Reds.
In total in 16 games for the O’s this season, O’Neill is batting .246 with two home runs, nine RBIs and a .762 OPS.
The Langley Blaze and Junior National Team grad signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the Orioles in December. With the Red Sox in 2024, he topped the club with 31 home runs. He played his first six major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 to 2023.
Jenkins throws out first pitch for Phillies on Jackie Robinson Day
Canadian baseball legend Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) threw out the first pitch prior to the Phillies’ game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday.
Some forget that Jenkins was originally signed by the Phillies on June 15, 1962. He pitched in seven games for the Phillies before they ill-advisedly dealt him to the Chicago Cubs on April 21, 1966.
While at Citizens Bank Park, Jenkins visited with fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and Phillies manager Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.). This photo of them was snapped prior to the game.
Canadian baseball legend Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.), left, visits with Canadian baseball legend and Phillies manager Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.). Photo: Fergie Jenkins/Facebook
Soroka throws simulated game
Washington Nationals right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) threw 37 pitches in a simulated game at PNC Park on Wednesday as part of his rehab from the right biceps strain that has kept him out since March 31, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports.
He is now expected to make one or two minor league rehab starts before rejoining the Nationals.
The club placed Soroka on the 15-day injured list on April 4. The move was retroactive to April 1.
On March 31, Soroka was removed from his start against the Blue Jays in the sixth inning after throwing a pitch and flexing his right arm.
The 27-year-old, who has been sidelined with numerous injuries during his big-league career, signed a one-year, $9-million contract with the Nationals on December 19 after pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 2024.
The Junior National Team alum is in his sixth major league season.
Delgado belted three home runs 24 years ago
On this date 24 years ago, Carlos Delgado belted three home runs for the Blue Jays to lead them to a 12-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. It was Delgado’s second three-home run game of that season.
In total, Delgado had four, three-home run games in his major league career. Of course, he also had a four-home run game for the Blue Jays against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 25, 2003.
Two Pirates Rookies of the Year
After a dominant first campaign in which he posted an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was voted the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. This made him the second Pirate to take home the honour.
So, who was the first?
That was Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.). The Canadian outfielder batted .282 with 26 home runs in 120 games for the Pirates to capture the honour in 2004.
Bay was on hand at PNC Park on Friday to participate in a celebration of Skenes’ dominant rookie season. The Pirates snapped a photo (below) of Bay and Skenes together and shared it on X.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ National League Rookie of the Year award winners Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), left, with Paul Skenes. Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates
Happy Birthday Tommy Hutton!
Former Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays player and broadcaster Tommy Hutton turns 79 today.
Happy Birthday to him!
Hutton batted .254 with two home runs in 64 games as a first baseman/outfielder with the Blue Jays in 1978 before his contract was sold to the Expos on July 20 of that year. The veteran left-handed hitter then spent his final three big league seasons as a pinch-hitter with the Expos, batting .212 in 218 games.
Following his playing days, he served as a TV analyst for the Expos (1982 to 1986) and Blue Jays (1990 to 1996).