Training Camp Notebook: Canada hits the road
Veteran right-hander John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) will pitch for Canada in the Olympic Qualifier set to begin on Monday. Photo: Baseball Canada
May 26, 2021
Baseball Canada
VERO BEACH – Florida – Team Canada held a morning workout at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach before hitting the road to historic Holman Stadium on the grounds of the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach to face Team USA in the second of two scrimmage contests.
Game highlights included:
-Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) hit a first inning, solo home run off Team USA starter Homer Bailey
-Starting pitcher Scott Richmond (Vancouver, BC) allowed a solo home run in the first inning before putting up a scoreless frame in the second.
-John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) followed Richmond with a scoreless frame in the third that included one strikeout while Evan Rutckyj (Windsor, Ont.) kept the US off the scoreboard for two innings.
The trip to Vero Beach was a homecoming of sorts for coach Paul Quantrill who called the former spring training complex of the Los Angeles Dodgers home when he was a Dodger prior to the 2002 and ’03 seasons.
Holman Stadium was built in 1953 and was the former spring home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Canada’s 25 player roster received a boost on Wednesday with left-handed pitcher Travis Seabrooke (Peterborough, Ont.) and veteran infielder Eric Wood (Oshawa, Ont.) arriving to camp.
Seabrooke pitched a scoreless eighth inning while Wood played the whole game at third base.
Team Canada will return to West Palm Beach on Thursday for a team workout and scrimmage game against the Fort Lauderdale Stars.