Canadian MLB playoff news and notes - October 5
PBF Redbirds and Junior National Team alum Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) will get the start for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in the third game of their National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Photo: Amanda Fewer
October 5, 2019
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some news and notes about Canadians in this year’s major league post-season:
- There was more to the Atlanta Braves’ decision to save their ace Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) until the third game of the National League Division Series than just ensuring the young right-hander had ample rest from his last start, which came on Sunday. The Braves also want Soroka to pitch the pivotal contest at Busch Stadium because the 22-year-old Canuck owns a 7-1 record and a 1.55 ERA in 16 starts on the road this season. His 1.55 ERA on the road is nearly a run better than that of New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom (2.34) who possessed the second best road ERA.
- The good news about Ladner, BC native’s James Paxton’s start in Game 1 of the American League Division Series for the New York Yankees last night is that, according to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, he tied a Canuck record for most strikeouts with eight. This equals the mark set by Jeff Francis (North Delta, BC) for the Colorado Rockies in his win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of National League Division Series in 2007. The other good news for Paxton is his Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 10-4. The bad news is he lasted just 4 2/3 innings, or one out short of qualifying for the win.
- Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun has written an excellent profile of St. Louis Cardinals coach and Windsor, Ont., native Stubby Clapp. In the article, Clapp, who coached in the Toronto Blue Jays organization prior to returning the Cardinals, shares his thoughts about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio. Clapp tells Longley that having managed the triple-A Memphis Redbirds for the previous two season helped him in his first campaign as a big league coach. “A lot of these guys I’ve had the opportunity to grow up with in those couple of years in Memphis so understanding their attitudes and how they think helped me in my first year in the big leagues in how to approach them and how to talk shop with them,” said Clapp. You can read the full article here.
- In case you’re counting, this is the fifth consecutive season that Edwin Encarnacion has played in the major league post-season. He did so with the Blue Jays in 2015 and 2016, the Cleveland Indians in 2017 and 2018 and now with the New York Yankees. He was 2-for-5 with two doubles in his Yankees’ playoff debut last night.
- And if you’re a long-time Blue Jays fan like me, how can you forget what happened 34 years ago today, when Yankees catcher Ron Hassey flew out to George Bell in left field for the final out of a Blue Jays’ 5-1 win at Exhibition Stadium that clinched the club their first American League title.