October 4, 2022

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

It was Canadian right-hander Nick Pivetta whom Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora called upon in the ninth inning in his club’s final regular season game, with a Wild-Card game berth on the line.

The Sox led the Washington Nationals 7-5 when the hard-throwing Victoria, B.C., native, who had been used exclusively as a starter, entered the contest. He promptly got Lane Thomas to fly out and Alcides Escobar to ground out before striking out 2020 National League batting champ Juan Soto to secure the win. That strikeout not only elevated the Red Sox into Tuesday night’s Wild-Card game against the New York Yankees, it also ended the Toronto Blue Jays’ 91-win season.

Earlier in the day, the Blue Jays, aided by Montreal-born Vladimir Guerrero’s 48th home run of the season, defeated the Baltimore Orioles 12-4 in front of a sold-out crowd at Rogers Centre. But the Blue Jays needed either the Red Sox or Yankees to lose to advance to a tie-breaker game. The Yankees had already defeated the Rays 1-0 on a walk-off single by Aaron Judge.

So now that Blue Jays fans have had a day to recover from the sting of their club falling just short, who should they cheer for in this year’s postseason?

Who is the most “Canadian” club in this year’s playoffs?

We researched that question, and here’s your answer:

Langley Blaze and Junior National Team alum Tyler O’Neill (Langley, B.C.) will be appearing in his second postseason with the St. Louis Cardinals. Photo: Jeff Curry/Getty Images

1. St. Louis Cardinals

Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill (Victoria, B.C.) has been red-hot for the Cardinals down the stretch. In 32 games since September 1, the Langley Blaze and Junior National Team grad batted .328 with 13 home runs and 30 RBIs, earning National League Player of the Month. Earlier in the year, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) had been mentioned as a National League MVP candidate, but O’Neill should also garner some votes. According to Baseball Reference, his WAR (Wins Above Replacement) this season was 6.3, which ranks fourth among National League position players. That’s better than that of Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper (5.9), who has been widely trumpeted as a MVP candidate. O’Neill, who also provides Gold Glove defence in left field, will likely bat third for the Cardinals in the their Wild-Card showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

Also, of note, for the third consecutive postseason, Windsor, Ont., native Stubby Clapp will coach first base for the Cardinals.

Player: Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)

Coaches: Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.), first base coach; Jamie Pogue (Guelph, Ont.), bullpen catcher

Scout: Jason Bryans (Tecumseh, Ont.)

Minor league players: RHP Mike Brettell (Fonthill, Ont.), 3B Brandon Hernandez (Montreal, Que.), 3B Francisco Hernandez (Montreal, Que.), RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.)

Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.) has built Atlanta Braves clubs that have won the National League East division for four consecutive seasons. Photo: YouTube

2. Atlanta Braves

It was just over seven years ago that Blue Jays fans were chanting “Thank you, Alex!” to their GM, Alex Anthopoulos, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as the Blue Jays clinched their first American League East division title since 1993. The Montreal native has since moved on to the National League and his Braves won the World Series last year and have won four division titles during his reign as general manager and president of baseball operations. This year the Braves enter the playoffs as the National League’s No. 1 wildcard team.

Unfortunately for the Braves, they will compete in this postseason without their Canadian ace and PBF Redbirds and Junior National Team alum Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) who was shut down after suffering elbow inflammation in his comeback efforts from tearing his Achilles tendon twice.

Players: RHP Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.)

Executive: Alex Anthopoulos (Montreal, Que.), president, baseball operations and general manager

Minor league players: RHP Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, B.C.), LHP Adam Shoemaker (Cambridge, Ont.)

Minor league coach: David Chavarria (Burnaby, B.C.), rehab pitching co-ordinator; Michael Saunders (Victoria, B.C.), manager, class-A Augusta GreenJackets

Off-field Canadian talent: Michael Copeland (Whitby, Ont.), developer and data architect, baseball systems

Right-hander Jameson Taillon, who pitched for Canada at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, started and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday to help the Bronx Bombers clinch a berth in the American League Wild-Card game. Photo: USA Today Sports

3. New York Yankees

Canadian left-hander James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) departed the Yankees to re-sign with the Seattle Mariners on February 18, but in the month prior, the Bronx Bombers acquired right-hander Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Though raised in The Woodlands, Tex., Taillon maintains a dual American/Canadian citizen. Both of his parents were born north of the border. The 6-foot-5 righty was chosen to start the Yankees’ must-win final game of the regular season and he tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Rays to help his club clinch a berth in the American League Wild-Card game. Taillon finished the season with an 8-6 record and a 4.30 ERA in 144 1/3 innings in 29 starts. If the Yankees advance deeper into the postseason, Taillon will be in their starting rotation.

There’s also no shortage of Canadians working in the Yankees’ organization. The club employs a trio of Canuck scouts - Steve Wilson (Victoria, B.C.), Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.) and Denis Boucher (Laval, Que.). They also boast a Canadian broadcaster in Nancy Newman (Toronto, Ont.), who sits in the same chair Mel Allen once sat.

Player: Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.) WBC eligible

Scouts: Steve Wilson (Victoria, B.C.), Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.), Denis Boucher (Lachine, Que.), Cory Melvin (Doug Melvin’s son)

Broadcaster: Nancy Newman (Toronto, Ont.) New York Yankees Magazine, host, YES Network

Minor league players:

Off the field Canadian talent: Mike Kicia (Edmonton, Alta.), assistant minor league strength and conditioning coordinator; Jessica Lack (Calgary, Alta.), class-A Tampa Yankees, digital media coordination, community relations; Andrew Wright (Woodstock, N.B.), director of Dominican Republic operations

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.) is a senior advisor with the Milwaukee Brewers. Photo: Milwaukee Brewers

4. Milwaukee Brewers

When Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.) was the general manager of the Brewers from 2002 to 2015, and Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.) was his assistant GM, the Brewers consistently seemed to have the most (or close to the most) Canadian players in their system. This seemed to change under current GM David Stearns, but it has rebounded somewhat this year when thanks to input from the club’s assistant director, scouting/international player development, Taylor Green (Comox, B.C.) and scout Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.), the Brewers selected Stouffville, Ont., native Tyler Black 33rd overall in the 2021 MLB draft. Six rounds later, the Brewers chose outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.).

The Brewers also briefly added a Canadian to their big league roster when they acquired John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) from the Blue Jays on August 2. Unfortunately, the right-handed reliever, who enjoyed his best seasons with the Brewers from 2009 to 2013, sustained a season-ending elbow injury after pitching just 1/3 of an inning in his sole appearance with the club.

Player: RHP John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), 60-day injury list

Minor league players: INF Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.), OF Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.)

Minor league coaches: Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.), pitching coach, triple-A Nashville

Executives: Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.), senior advisor; Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.), director, baseball projects; Taylor Green (Comox, B.C.), assistant director of scouting/international player development

Scouts: Tyler Hollick (Calgary, Alta.), Marty Lehn (White Rock, B.C.), Doug Mathieson (Langley, B.C.), Pete Orr (Newmarket, Ont.), Jeff Simpson (Nashville, Tenn.), Taylor Frederick (Ottawa, Ont.)

Toronto native Jonathan Erlichman is the Tampa Bay Rays’ process and analytics coach.

7. Tampa Bay Rays

With the fifth lowest payroll in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays need to find any advantage they can to compete in the tough American League East division. This is where Toronto native Jonathan Erlichman, the club’s process and analytics coach comes in handy. The Princeton math major worked five-plus years in the Rays’ front office, including 2017 and 2018 as the club’s director of analytics, before being promoted to his current role.

The Torontonian, who interned with the Blue Jays, wears a uniform as part of manager Kevin Cash’s coaching staff and is going to go over every statistical detail to help the Rays find an edge this postseason.

Coach: Jonathan Erlichman (Toronto, Ont.), process and analytics coach

Minor league players: RHP Conor Angel (Lachine, Que.), RHP Trevor Brigden (Toronto, Ont.)

Jim Stevenson (Leaside, Ont.) has become a key scout for the Houston Astros. Photo: Twitter

8. Houston Astros

Forty-two years ago, Melville, Sask., native Terry Puhl set a then National League Championship Series record with 10 hits in 19 at bats (.526 batting average) in the Astros’ epic five-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Until Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) had a pinch-hit at bat in last year’s American League Championship Series, Puhl was the last Canadian to appear in a postseason game with the Astros.

Toro, an ABC alum, won’t, however, be part of the Astros’ playoff run this season. He was dealt to the Seattle Mariners on July 27, along with veteran reliever Joe Smith, for right-handers Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero. So there’s not a Canuck on the Astros’ postseason roster this season.

Scout: Jim Stevenson (Leaside, Ont.)

Minor league player: RHP R.J. Freure (Burlington, Ont.)

Ellen Harrigan (Beeton, Ont.) is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ senior director of baseball administration.

9. Los Angeles Dodgers

It still seems strange to have a major league postseason without Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) playing in it. In October 2019, the Canadian catcher starred in the Dodgers’ 10-4 win over the eventual World Series champion Nationals in Game 3 of their National League Division Series when he went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. It was the fourth different season that Martin suited up for the Dodgers in the playoffs, and his 10th trip to the postseason overall. But Martin didn’t play in 2020 or 2021, so there are no Canadian players on the Dodgers.

They do, however, employ Beeton, Ont., native Ellen Harrigan who is one of Major League Baseball’s most respected executives. After beginning her career with the Blue Jays as an administrative aide in player development in 1981 and later becoming the general manager of the club’s New York Penn League affiliate in St. Catharines, Harrigan moved on to the Dodgers and has risen through the organization’s ranks to hold a number of key executive positions. Now in her 21st season with the club, she is currently the team’s senior director, baseball administration.

Executive: Ellen Veronica Harrigan (Beeton, Ont.), senior director, baseball administration

Minor League Player: Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.)

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