Canadian MLB playoff news and notes - October 16

The Washington Nationals completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series last night. Cardinals first-base coach Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) will now head into the off-season as a strong candidate for several big league managerial openings.

October 16, 2019

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

- The Washington Nationals completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series last night with a 7-4 win at Nationals Park. This was the first taste of the big league post-season as a coach for Windsor, Ont., native Stubby Clapp who should be a sought-after managerial candidate this off-season. Eight big league clubs are currently seeking a new manager and the gritty and lovable Clapp is a proven winner. He was a key contributor to the Junior National Team that won gold at the World Youth Baseball Championships in Brandon, Man., in 1991. He was a coach on both of Canada’s Senior National Teams that captured gold at the Pan Am Games (2011, 2015) and he managed the Memphis Redbirds to back-to-back Pacific Coast League championships prior to joining the Cards this season. I could see Clapp as a fit with a young and rebuilding squad like the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals.

- Since the Toronto Blue Jays dealt Daniel Hudson to the Washington Nationals on July 31, the veteran right-hander has been dominant. In 24 regular season appearances with the Nats, he was 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA. And in six post-season appearances, he has not allowed a run and recorded four saves. It was fitting that he was on the mound for the NLCS-clinching out last night.

- Good news for Canadian baseball fans, New Westminster, B.C. native and former Minnesota Twins star Justin Morneau will be returning to the Sportsnet team for the World Series. The 2006 American League MVP will work the MLB Central Desk for the network’s Fall Classic coverage. Morneau, who batted .281 and belted 247 home runs in parts of 14 major league seasons with the Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, has served as an part-time analyst on Twins’ Fox Sports North broadcasts for the past two years.

- 26 years ago today, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5 in Game 1 of the 1993 World Series. John Olerud and Devon White homered for the Blue Jays and Al Leiter picked up the win.