Glew: Canadian World Series Preview

Canadian outfielder George Selkirk (Huntsville, Ont.) won five World Series rings with the New York Yankees.

October 25, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Canadian outfielder George Selkirk won five World Series rings with the New York Yankees between 1936 and 1941.

The Huntsville, Ont., native homered in his first World Series at bat and had a .367 on-base percentage in 21 Fall Classic games.

Selkirk enjoyed so much success in the post-season that some have taken to calling him “Canada’s Mr. October.”

But there won’t be a Canadian Mr. October for the Yankees this year. They, like their World Series rival Los Angeles Dodgers, do not have a player born in Canada on their roster.

In fact, the Yankees haven’t had a Canuck play a World Series game for them since Selkirk pinch-hit in Game 5 of the 1942 Fall Classic.

It’s a similar story for the Dodgers.

A hobbled Freddie Freeman, whose parents were born in Canada, is the closest the Dodgers have to a Canadian on their big league roster. You have to go back to when their franchise was still in Brooklyn to find the last Canuck to play for them in the World Series.

That was right-hander Johnny Rutherford (Belleville, Ont.) who pitched an inning in relief in Game 4 of the 1952 World Series.

But while there won’t be any Canadian-born players on the field in this year’s Fall Classic, which begins on Friday at Dodger Stadium, there is plenty of Canadian content within both organizations.

Here is a summary:

Yankees scout Steve Wilson takes questions in Seoul in 2019. Sun Dong-Yuhl, former head coach of the South Korean national team, is on the left. Photo: Yonhap News

New York Yankees

As noted, there isn’t a Canadian on the Bronx Bombers’ post-season roster, but there’s no shortage of Canucks working in the organization. The club employs a trio of Canadian scouts in Steve Wilson (Victoria, BC), Shawn Hill (Georgetown, Ont.) and Denis Boucher (Lachine, Que.). They also boast a Canadian broadcaster in Nancy Newman (Toronto, Ont.), who sits in the same chair Mel Allen once sat.

And in the last two drafts, the Yankees have added two players with Canadian roots. In 2023, they selected left-hander Kyle Carr in the 3rd round. He was raised in California, but his father Darcy was born in Sydney, N.S.

This year, the Bombers chose Steve Wilson’s son, Tyler, an outfielder from Grand Canyon University, in the 10th round.

Minor league players: LHP Kyle Carr (father is from Sydney, N.S.), RHP Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC), OF Tyler Wilson (father is from Victoria, B.C.)

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

Off the field Canadian talent: Jessica (Lack) Ventura (Calgary, Alta.), class-A Tampa Yankees, manager, partnership and community activation; Andrew Wright (Woodstock, N.B.), director of Dominican Republic operations

Ex-Toronto Blue Jays: UTIL Jon Berti, LHP Tim Mayza, RHP Marcus Stroman

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

Los Angeles Dodgers

As mentioned earlier, Freeman’s parents were born north of the border, and he played for Canada in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics. Prior to the 2022 season, Freeman inked a six-year, $162-million contract with the Dodgers. And he certainly hasn’t disappointed. He has been an All-Star in each of his three seasons with the club and was among the National League leaders in most key offensive categories in 2022 and 2023. This season, he batted .282 and had a .378 on-base percentage with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs in 147 games. He has been trying to play through an ankle injury this post-season. He missed Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres and two more contests against the New York Mets in National League Championship Series. He is a combined 7-for-32 (.219 batting average), with no extra base hits, in eight games this post-season.

The Dodgers also 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 24th season with the club, she is currently the team’s senior director, baseball administration.

Player: Freddie Freeman (Villa Park, Calif.), WBC eligible

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

Minor league players: RHP Lucas Wepf (Georgetown, Ont.)

Doctor: Dr. Keith Payne (Niagara On The Lake, Ont.), medical consultant

Ex-Blue Jays: LHP Anthony Banda, OF Teoscar Hernandez, RHP Daniel Hudson, OF Kevin Kiermaier