Glew: Hazel Mae to emcee Canadian ball hall induction ceremony

Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae will emcee the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2023 induction ceremony on June 17. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

May 26, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae will return as emcee of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony on June 17 in St. Marys, Ont.

The Canadian ball hall made the announcement on social media on Wednesday.

This will mark the third time she has hosted the event. This year she will host a ceremony that will see former Montreal Expos left-hander Denis Boucher (Montreal, Que.), ex-Oakland A’s right-hander Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.), rifle-armed ex-Blue Jays right fielder Jesse Barfield and longtime Manitoba baseball coach and executive Joe Wiwchar be inducted.

The four new inductees will be honoured alongside former Blue Jays first baseman John Olerud and legendary Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet who were elected in 2020 but have not been able to attend the ceremony.

The ceremony will take place on the Hall of Fame grounds in St. Marys, Ont., and is free for the public to attend.

The inspiring and trailblazing Mae is now in her 23rd year in TV broadcasting and is a popular and highly respected member of the Blue Jays TV team.

She began her career in the Toronto sports media in 2001 when she anchored the morning edition of Sportsnet Central and was the host of JZone, a weekly show devoted to the Blue Jays.

From 2004 to 2008, she worked in Boston and served as the lead anchor on the New England Sports Network’s (NESN) Sports Desk and hosted The Ultimate Red Sox show, which was NESN’s weekly Red Sox show.

In 2008, she was hired by the MLB Network where she worked on the Emmy Award-winning studio show, MLB Tonight, and hosted a highlight program called Quick Pitch. She also worked as a sideline reporter for Thursday Night Baseball.

In September 2011, she returned to Sportsnet to anchor the 6 p.m. edition of Sportsnet Central.

Four years later, she began her current job as an in-game reporter during Blue Jays telecasts. She has also worked for TBS as an in-game reporter during the post-season.