Gallagher: Long-time MLBer Ferguson was star for Saskatchewan club in 1966

Long-time big leaguer Joe Ferguson is shown here, on the right, with his Kindersley Klippers teammate Jerry Flanagan in 1966. Photo courtesy of Jerry Flanagan.

September 19, 2022

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s never been uncommon for U.S. born players to come to Canada and play summer baseball in the adult ranks as a preparatory appetizer leading to the majors.

Chris Speier did it with Ontario's Stratford Hoods in 1969, Jesse Orosco pitched later for Ontario’s Cambridge Terriers, John Boccabella played for the Saskatoon Commodores in 1961 and Greg Bargar suited up for the Saskatoon Patrick Liners in 1979.

The list goes on and on.

Did you know long-time Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Joe Ferguson played for Saskatchewan's Kindersley Klippers in 1966?

He was born in San Francisco and heard about Kindersley so he made the trek to play in the Northern Saskatchewan league and stayed with a relative of the mayor.

Kindersley is a town of about 4,600 people nestled on Highway 7 between Saskatoon and Calgary, its community spirit best exemplified in 1984 when it played host to the World Youth Baseball Championship featuring Canada’s Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.), who was signed by the Expos a few months later.

"We were allowed a few imports so all fine and dandy, we brought in Joe Ferguson to play ball,'' recalled teammate Jerry Flanagan, now 89. "He was a catcher but we brought him up as a pitcher.

"I would say he was one of the best in the league. He could do it all. He could play anywhere. He could pitch, he could lay down a bunt, he could hit. Whenever he didn’t pitch, he played in the outfield. He had a good attitude. He was friendly with everyone. We never had a problem with him.

“Joe had a younger brother. I forget his name. He came up here part of one season. He wasn’t nearly as good as Joe and not as big as Joe.’’

At the time Ferguson was in Kindersley, he was a kid fitting in nicely with older men. Flanagan was 13 years older.

And boy did Fergy show what he could do, not only at the plate but at the rubber to help Kindersley win the league championship.

Ferguson, who is celebrating his 76th birthday today, won the batting title with a .405 average, drilled a league-leading eight homers and drove in 21 runs. He had 34 hits in 84 at-bats.

On the mound, he was also superlative with an 8-1 record with a 2.44 ERA and a league-leading 101 strikeouts. Only Ross Stone of Unity outdid his W-L record with a nifty 11-1 mark.

Clippers owner Ken Jackson handled GM duties. He was a big-wheel rancher and farmer with large swaths of land and wheat. When the Clippers were playing on a certain date, local farmers would shut down the harvest to come and watch the team play. The players were treated like royalty.

"I never saw Joe as a catcher. I couldn't believe the Dodgers made him a catcher. He turned out to be a great catcher,'' his Kindersley manager John Elick said in an interview. "He was a good pitcher and always a great hitter. He was such a great athlete, a super athlete.''

During one game that season, Ferguson's mother, who had come to town from California to watch him play, was upset with an umpire's call and headed on to the field in Unity to give him a word or two after her son was rung up.

"I was on second base and I couldn't believe he took the pitch. It was a perfect pitch. And his mother was really mad,'' Elick said.

"It was a fairly high strike. Joe protested the call and the mother came in and she had this long leather thing on her purse and hit the umpire on the head,’’ Flanagan said, laughing. “They didn't kick her out of the ballpark. They let her sit in the stands. She was happy she got away with it. She was quite a lady. She loved her boy Joe.’’

At the famous Lacombe tournament in Alberta that season, Ferguson helped Kindersley win the top money prize. In one game, he struck out 16 and hit a long home run in a 6-2 win over North Battleford, Sask.

In the tournament final against B.C.’s Kamloops Lelands, Saskatoon native Wayne Morgan, known later for his scouting days with the the Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and signing Terry Puhl for the Houston Astros, went yard twice, including a grand slam, and drove in eight runs as Kindersley beat North Battleford.

Norm Angelini, a San Francisco native like Ferguson, was also a star for Kindersley as a pitcher, going 6-2 with a 3.26 ERA. He pitched a few games for the Kansas City Royals in 1972-73.

And that season saw the emergence of Bill Campbell with the Neilburgh Monarchs. He used that experience as a springboard to a 15-year career in the majors with his last stop with the Expos in 1987.

Ferguson took his Kindersley experience to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1970 and enjoyed two stints with the team along with time with the St. Louis Cardinals, Astros and California Angels for a combined MLB tenure of close to 15 seasons as a pretty-decent player.

Ferguson’s best season was with Dodgers in 1973 when he hit 25 homers and drove in 88 runs.

This reporter tried to track Ferguson down but he couldn’t be reached for comment through his email address or his agent Jack DeLance.

One thing for sure: Kindersley will never forget what Ferguson did in their town in 1966.