Canadian ball hall's new inductees have helped sport's growth in Canada

The Canadian Baseball’s 2020 induction class: (From Left to Right): Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.), John Olerud, Duane Ward and Jacques Doucet (Montreal, Que.). Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

February 4, 2020

By Lukas Weese

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO-- The start of the new decade has been kind to baseball in Canada.

It started with Maple Ridge, B.C., native Larry Walker being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown on January 21.

And on Tuesday, two weeks later, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame announced that New Westminster, B.C. native Justin Morneau, longtime Blue Jays first baseman John Olerud, former Blue Jays relief ace Duane Ward and Montreal Expos legendary broadcaster Jacques Doucet will make up the 2020 class.

Morneau enters Canada's baseball hall as one of three Canadian players to win a major league MVP Award. The other two are Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Walker.

In the Canadian ball hall’s conference call on Tuesday, Morneau shared that not only did Walker inspire him with his power hitting, but also by serving as a mentor for him early in his career.

"A guy who won the MVP didn't need to concern himself with a double-A player," said Morneau of Walker. "The Canadian Baseball family is a tight community. Larry showed me how important it was to look out for other Canadians.”

Morneau was a hitting force at the plate. Over 14 seasons, he won two Silver Slugger awards, hitting .281/.348/.481 with 247 HRs and 985 RBIs.

But most importantly, Morneau has continued Walker's legacy of being a "big brother" figure to Canada's young baseball talent. One example of his leadership is detailed in Steve Ewen's 2018 article published in The Province, where Morneau assisted 2012 No. 4 overall pick Adam Loewen in transitioning to the outfield after arm injuries.

According to former Canadian baseball national team member Cole Armstrong, Morneau has "never changed," from their days being childhood friends. The 38-year-old remains humble, despite his success.

Morneau also continued the tradition of accomplished Canadian players coming from British Columbia. But before he started his professional baseball career, he grew up in the era where the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series championships.

When he got home from school, Morneau watched those Blue Jays teams of the 1990's and imitated the smoothness of John Olerud's swing in the back yard.

Olerud and Ward were significant contributors during the Blue Jays' most successful period from 1989 to 1993.

Olerud claimed three Gold Gloves along with his two World Championships. His peak season came in 1993, where he led the MLB in batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.473), OPS (1.072), OPS+ (186) and doubles (54).

Ward never pitched less than 101 innings in his five seasons as a set-up man. In his career with the Blue Jays, he hurled 650 2/3 innings, ranking second in franchise history in pitching appearances (452). He led the American League in saves in 1993 with 45. In the Blue Jays’ two World Series appearances, Ward posted a 3-0 record with a 1.13 ERA.

Olerud knew when Ward stepped to the mound, the Blue Jays were going to be just fine.

"He [Ward] was such a dominant pitcher," said Olerud on the conference call. "The ball didn’t get put in play very much when Wardo was out there."

Ward recalls the dominance of the 1993 Blue Jays lineup with Olerud in it.

"When you look at the lineup and they got through Robbie Alomar, Joe Carter then they had to face John," said Ward. "We knew John was there to get on base."

Doucet started as a Montreal Expos beat reporter for La Presse, before launching a broadcasting career with the Expos that would span more than three decades and over 5,500 big league games.

He recalls three games that stand out to him in his broadcast career.

“I had the privilege of broadcasting two perfect games, the one that Dennis Martinez pitched against the Dodgers and the other David Cone pitched against the Expos in Yankee Stadium,” said Doucet. “I got to call the 1982 All-Star Game, the first time it was played outside the USA. We had five members of the Expos in the lineup. Those games really stand out in my mind.”

In addition to the broadcasting, Doucet invested his time supporting grassroots baseball programs in Quebec. His active participation in fundraising activities has grown youth baseball across Quebec, giving players a platform and avenue to progress their careers.

As of 2016, 120,000 Canadians engage in baseball competitions across the country, according to Baseball Canada.

The contributions of Morneau, Olerud, Ward and Doucet, on the diamond and in the broadcast booth, have inspired many Canadians to participate in the sport with hopes that they may one day be like them.