Canadian MLB playoff news and notes - October 8

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez played with the Montreal Expos from 1988 to 1991.

October 8, 2019

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some news and notes about Canadians in this year’s major league post-season:

- Montreal native Russell Martin was not in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup in their 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals in Game 4 of their National League Division Series on Monday. However, after Martin’s home run and double in Sunday’s contest, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame shared that the veteran catcher has broken two further Canadian post-season records. Martin now has 24 post-season runs and 65 total bases. These totals vault him past Tip O’Neill (Woodstock, Ont.) for the most by a Canuck.

- Whenever the camera pans to the Washington Nationals’ coaching staff in their dugout, I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic. Nats manager Dave Martinez played for the Montreal Expos from 1988 to 1991 and for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000, pitching coach Paul Menhart appeared in 21 games for the Blue Jays in 1995 and third base coach Bob Henley suited up for his only 41 big league contests with the Expos in 1998. Also, their bullpen coach is Henry Blanco who competed in 15 games for the Blue Jays in 2013.

- Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz will get the starting nod for the Atlanta Braves as they battle the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth and deciding game of their National League Division Series on Wednesday at SunTrust Park in Atlanta. It will be interesting to see, however, if Canadian right-hander Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), who has been the Braves’ best pitcher this season, will be available out of the bullpen. I’m sure the question will be asked when Braves manager Brian Snitker meets with the media on Tuesday. My guess is the answer will be yes.

- This doesn’t have a Canadian link, but the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft is being well-represented in this year’s playoffs. Max Scherzer, who was selected 11th overall by Arizona Diamondbacks in that draft, allowed just one run in seven innings to pick up the win for the Nationals last night. The Dodgers selected Clayton Kershaw four spots ahead of Scherzer in that draft, and just prior to Kershaw, the Detroit Tigers chose left-hander Andrew Miller, who’s now pitching in relief for the Cardinals. And if you look further down the draft list, the Cardinals took right-hander Adam Ottavino 30th overall that year. He is now a key reliever on the New York Yankees staff.

- To many Montreal Expos fans, Rusty Staub is an honorary Canadian. This didn’t happen when Staub was with the Expos, but it was 46 years ago today, that the 2012 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee belted two home runs for the New York Mets to help lead them to a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship Series. You can watch footage of the home runs below.