Wilson: 10 times MLB teams visited Alberta

Reggie Jackson and the California Angels played an exhibition game against their Angels’ triple-A Edmonton Trappers on May 16, 1983.

*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on March 24. You can read it here.

April 1, 2025

By Ian Wilson

Alberta Dugout Stories

There was a time when baseball builders in Alberta dreamed of luring big-league teams to the province.

The notion of Major League Baseball (MLB) setting up shop in Calgary or Edmonton at some time in the distant future seemed unlikely but not impossible.

The arrival of triple-A ball in the form of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) to both cities in the 1980s bolstered this implausible idea.

Alas, with the demolition of Foothills Stadium, it now seems more likely that we’ll see the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson wander the corn-surrounded outfields of Alberta than we are to witness an MLB team coming here.

Despite this fading dream, the province did welcome MLB teams for game action in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays all sent star players to Alberta to participate in exhibition games.

These visits typically involved the parent MLB team taking the field against its top minor-league affiliate. It was a way to drum up support for the big-league club and grow fan bases in areas outside of their usual geographic footprint.

The Blue Jays visit to Medicine Hat in 1994 was different. Toronto was a partner of the National Baseball Institute (NBI) and part of their support for the developmental program included an annual exhibition game featuring the Blue Jays against the NBI Blues in a Canadian city. Previous hosts included Regina and Winnipeg. Edmonton was in the running to bring the Jays to the provincial capital, but Toronto opted to give some love to the southern Alberta city that gave a home to their rookie-level affiliate since 1978.

These were fabulous times for baseball fans in Alberta. Minor-league ball was in full swing in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Edmonton, offering up future MLB talent to eager spectators. And every once in a while, the big leaguers themselves would come to town, decked out in major-league uniforms and ready to sign autographs for the throngs of baseball boosters who crowded into the ballpark.

Here’s a closer look at 10 times MLB teams came to Alberta to play exhibition games:

MAY 21, 1981, RENFREW PARK

The Chicago White Sox made history when they became the first Major League Baseball team to play a game in Alberta.

Big names visiting Edmonton for the matchup against the triple-A Trappers – who were in their first year of operation in the PCL – included manager Tony La Russa, catcher Carlton Fisk and outfielder Chet Lemon.

The White Sox prevailed 4-3 while La Russa employed some interesting tactics to preserve his lineup for MLB regular-season action.

Fisk shifted from behind the plate to first base for his three innings of play and Jim Siwy was promoted from Single-A to serve as Chicago’s starting pitcher, so La Russa could keep his rotation regulars well rested for more meaningful games. Siwy, who joined the Edmonton Trappers the following season, pitched well. He surrendered just six hits over eight innings of work.

The calls to the bullpen were even more unusual, with the White Sox 46-year-old traveling secretary, Glen Rosenbaum, and pitching coach Ron Schueler pressed into action to protect a lead in the ninth inning.

The Thursday-night game drew a crowd of 4,256 fans, who paid $10 each for the privilege of witnessing big league talent.

MAY 16, 1983, COMMONWEALTH STADIUM

Edmonton was the first to host and they also attracted the largest attendance.

The Trappers played their home games at John Ducey Park, which could accommodate up to 6,500 fans, but the decision was made to move the game to Commonwealth Stadium, home of the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Despite being an odd fit for a ball diamond, Commonwealth could hold way more people.

The unique layout created a ludicrously short porch in right field – just 260 feet from home plate – and an incredibly deep part of the park in left centre field that was 460 feet away from the batter.

The final head count for the game between the California Angels and the Trappers was 24,830, which was the largest crowd ever to attend a baseball game in Edmonton. It’s still believed to be the highest attendance ever for a baseball game in Alberta history.

It was a nothing game for the Angels – a northerly stop wedged between an 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins and a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners – but it was a statement game for fans in Alberta’s capital.

“Where the hell am I? Alaska?” quipped Reggie Jackson during a pregame chat with reporters at Commonwealth Stadium.

“It’s cold out there.”

The Trappers claimed a 5-3 victory and fans left happy after seeing stars like Jackson, Rod Carew and Bob Boone pay a visit.

MAY 6, 1985, FOOTHILLS STADIUM

After feeling left out in the early ’80s, Calgary baseball fans got their own PCL franchise – the Cannons – in 1985. That brought triple-A action to the province’s largest city, as well as a close look at the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s and Cannons squared off in a pre-game home run derby, which was won by Seattle 8-4. Outfielder Ivan Calderon launched six of the long balls and earned himself $600 in prize money in the process.

“I am very, very happy,” Calderon told the Calgary Herald newspaper.

“Maybe I’ll buy myself some new shoes.”

Calderon maintained a hot bat in the exhibition game, clubbing another homer in the first inning. Third baseman Jim Presley also went yard off pitcher Paul Mirabella in the opening frame. Presley added a second homer later in the game.

Bobby Cueller, the pitching coach for the Cannons, took over on the mound for Mirabella and surrendered a three-run shot to Calderon, his second blast of the contest.

“It was a fastball. Well, maybe not too fast. It was a straight ball. I guess I got a little carried away and tried to challenge him,” Cueller said of his offering to Calderon.

The Mariners jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first third of the game and ultimately held on for a 12-7 triumph.

Alvin Davis – who was nicknamed “Mr. Mariner” – was in the visitor’s dugout for the game, unable to play due to a neck injury.

Stars on the Cannons included Danny Tartabull, Darnell Coles and Pat Casey.

Foothills Stadium staff welcomed 5,796 fans – a record attendance at the time – for the Monday night game. At least one watcher climbed a tree near the stadium to catch a glimpse of the big-league festivities.

JUNE 2, 1986, FOOTHILLS STADIUM

The rematch between the Cannons and Mariners featured some familiar players swapping jerseys.

Harold Reynolds, John Moses and Danny Tartabull went from representing Calgary the previous season to suiting up for the Mariners, while Ivan Calderon and Dave Valle were sporting Cannons threads.

Tartabull hit a solo shot for Seattle, while designated hitter Gorman Thomas went 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs and three runs batted in while 5,878 spectators were on hand at Foothills Stadium.

Valle and Calderon paced the offence for the home team, with both batters producing a pair of RBIs. Outfielder Mickey Brantley flashed his speed by stealing second and third base uncontested during the game.

The Cannons came out on top with an 8-7 win when the deciding run scored on a wild pitch from Pete Ladd. Had the affair gone to extra innings, coaches would have been called upon to pitch for both sides – Marty Martinez for Seattle and Ross Grimsley for Calgary.

“I love the fans here,” said Dick Williams, the manager of the Mariners, after the game.

“The home team won and I guess that’s what it’s all about.”

MAY 15, 1989, FOOTHILLS STADIUM

For just $5.50, adults were granted admission to the Cannons mid-May matchup against the Mariners and the opportunity to watch budding mega-star Ken Griffey Jr. Youth tickets for the game were a buck less than that.

Of course, Calgary fans were hoping to get a longer look at Griffey Jr. in 1989 but he skipped right past triple-A and onto Seattle’s roster. It was a disappointment to not count the outfielder among the alumni of the Cannons, but the exhibition game at least gave baseball observers in Cowtown a glimpse of “The Kid.”

Ad promoting the Seattle Mariners visit to Foothills Stadium in the Calgary Herald newspaper.

Another future Hall-of-Famer stole the show, however. Third baseman Edgar Martinez – a long-time member of the Cannons – went 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBIs as a member of the Mariners. Dave Valle also went yard in Seattle’s 6-1 victory, with starting pitcher Mike Dunne logging five scoreless innings in picking up the win.

Jim Lefebvre, the manager of the Mariners, got an at bat as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and was safe on a fielder’s choice.

Griffey Jr. played in centre field and went 0-for-3 at the plate. He generated plenty of buzz, nonetheless, and signed numerous souvenirs for autograph seekers among the 6,496 in attendance.

JUNE 10, 1993, FOOTHILLS STADIUM

Calgarians got another visit from Griffey Jr. and the Mariners – the fourth and final game in the exhibition series versus the Cannons – in 1993.

Junior participated in a pre-game homer competition against Dann Howitt, Greg Pirkl and Bret Boone of the Cannons. Griffey Jr. muscled one ball out of the park, while Pirkl collected five round trippers – and the prize of a gold watch – to win the derby.

During the game, Griffey Jr. blasted a two-run shot and first baseman Tino Martinez punched out a solo homer in the first inning. Greg Litton and Edgar Martinez added their own solo blasts later in the game, while shortstop Omar Vizquel went 2-for-2 to push the M’s to an 8-3 victory with manager Lou Piniella at the helm. Roger Salkeld started and went five innings for Seattle to nab the win in front of a Thursday night crowd of 7,185 spectators.

A much more engaging Griffey Jr. showed up for this trip. He even made time for an interview with Calgary Herald reporter Gyle Konotopetz.

“I’m not Barry Bonds, I’m not Willie Mays, I’m myself. I don’t imitate anybody. I was never a baseball brat trying to be someone else. I’m no role model … why not be yourself?” pondered Griffey Jr.

“I don’t trust anybody, I don’t respect anybody. Just my father (Ken Griffey Sr., the hitting coach) and my friends.”

JUNE 6, 1994, ATHLETIC PARK

After watching Alberta’s two largest cities play host to MLB action over the years, Medicine Hat put on a tremendous event to celebrate the Toronto Blue Jays, who won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.

Many of the players on Toronto’s roster came through Medicine Hat to play for the Pioneer League’s Blue Jays, often referred to as the Baby Jays. It was a first stop in professional baseball for several batters and pitchers who had their sights set on the major leagues.

Hosting the exhibition game was a massive undertaking for Medicine Hat, a city of 51,000 with a ballpark that held 2,200 fans.

Pat Gillick, the vice-president of the Toronto Blue Jays, originally pitched the idea to Bill Yuill, the owner of the Medicine Hat rookie-level affiliate. Perhaps Gillick had a soft spot for Alberta, having played for teams in Vulcan, Granum and Edmonton in the 1950s. He once threw a no-hitter at a tournament in Medicine Hat.

“I think he was a little surprised we accepted,” said Yuill, who became the chair of the Blue Jays Baseball Festival Committee that was organizing the event.

“He said, ‘Can you handle it?’ I said, ‘Give me a couple days and we’ll look at it.'”

To pull off one of the biggest sporting events in the city’s history, 6,000 bleacher seats had to be built around the diamond. On top of that, 400 volunteers, 40 extra picnic tables and 47 portable toilets were brought in, along with additional garbage bins and concessions stands. Five committees oversaw the hosting duties.

Tickets could be snapped up for as little as $6 and there was interest from across Alberta, as well as Saskatchewan. Along with star players on the Blue Jays, the team also sent a management contingent that included Gillick, assistant general manager Gord Ash, international scouting director Wayne Morgan and Canadian scouting director Bill Byckowski. There were 25 media representatives dispatched to cover the game, as well.

Medicine Hat News coverage of the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and NBI Blues.

Prior to the main event, the players and the fans warmed up with a home run derby. World Series hero Joe Carter, outfielder Mike Huff, infielder Darnell Coles and slugger Carlos Delgado led the Jays to a 13-4 triumph over the NBI Blues.

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein threw out the ceremonial first pitch to 1992 World Series MVP Pat Borders, who suited up for the Baby Jays a decade earlier.

Fort McMurray righty Joe Young – who pitched for Medicine Hat in 1994 – was the starting pitcher for the parent club. Toronto’s batting lineup was a star-studded cast that included Devon White, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Olerud, Carlos Delgado, Pat Borders and Darnell Coles. Manager Cito Gaston deployed his everyday lineup, with the exception of designated hitter Paul Molitor, who was in attendance and signed autographs for fans.

Brent Crowther, a 10th-round pick of the Colorado Rockies, took the mound for the NBI Blues and threw two scoreless innings, striking out Carter, Delgado and Huff along the way.

“For the first inning, I was extremely nervous,” confessed Crowther to Medicine Hat News reporter Scott Cruickshank.

“It’s immense. You’re going out there to play the world championship Blue Jays. It’s unimaginable.”

Young, who was 19 at the time, described it as a “dream-come-true” experience.

“I’m going to remember this day for a long time. It was the best experience of my life,” said Young.

“I wasn’t really that nervous. I just went out there and tried as hard as I could.”

Young gave up two runs – one on a Mark Schlosser single, the other unearned – over three innings of work and struck out three batters. A two-out triple from Lionel Best extended the Blues lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning. Coles doubled and scored a run in the sixth inning and the Jays crossed the plate two more times in the seventh inning, but NBI held strong thanks to a save from Jamie Watters that sealed the 4-3 win.

Local product Greg Morrison – an outfielder with the Blues who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers later that month – took part in the exhibition game and had a blast meeting the players from Toronto.

“I had to go up to a school with (Jays) Mike Huff and Darnell Coles. I gave about a 30-second spiel and they each gave a five-minute thing on staying in school. They’re good guys. They’re normal people with superior baseball talent,” said Morrison, who now owns the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Medicine Hat Mavericks summer collegiate team.

The baseball festival was a smashing success for the Gas City. More than 9,000 fans made their way to Athletic Park for the home run derby and exhibition game, and the event generated $255,000 in revenues.

“It’s significant no matter how you look at it,” said Kevin Friesen, general manager of the Medicine Hat Blue Jays.

“If there’s been a bigger day, I don’t know about it.”

JUNE 22, 1995, BURNS STADIUM

Alberta welcomed two MLB teams to the province in 1995, with the first exhibition game taking place in Calgary in late June.

The Cannons rolled out the red carpet for the Pittsburgh Pirates, which provided starting pitcher Jim Gott with a return to where his pro career began.

The Californian was the opening day starter for the Calgary Cardinals of the Pioneer League in 1977, throwing the first pitch for a professional baseball team in the city’s history. That season he played in a basic version of Foothills Stadium. Gott returned to the same location to Burns Stadium, which had undergone millions of dollars of renovations over the years.

“Being here makes me realize how lucky I’ve been,” said Gott, who didn’t take the mound during his return visit.

“I was 17 with delusions of grandeur, thinking I was one pitch away from the bigs … I left my girlfriend behind, came here with her picture pinned inside my cap and my first pitch didn’t make it past the grass in front of home plate. I lost the ERA title (9.55 ERA with 83 walks in 65 innings in 14 starts) and I lost my girlfriend. I guess she saw my stats.”

Added Gott: “When I played here, we got $8.50 a day for meal money, so we’d stop the bus at a 7-Eleven, buy a loaf of bread, baloney, a six-pack of Coke, a jar of mayonnaise and use the tongue depressor from the trainer’s kit to make sandwiches. Now they’re all Westin Hotels and steak and lobster and it’s not the same. Baseball was meant to be a simple game played on dirt with dirty uniforms.”

The Thursday festivities were an afternoon affair, with the show getting started at 12:35 p.m. Ticket prices ranged from $7 to $10 and 6,406 patrons took advantage of the offer.

The pregame home run derby resulted in rookie first baseman Mark Johnson coming out on top with six dingers. Johnson beat out Pittsburgh outfielder Steve Pegues in a tiebreaker. Sam Horn connected with one home run for the Cannons.

Jim Leyland, the manager of the Pirates, put out a lineup that included shortstop Jay Bell, left fielder Al Martin and right fielder Orlando Merced, although his regular players were pulled after three innings. Strength and conditioning coach Warren Sipp was a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the seventh inning. First baseman Rich Aude hit the only homer in the game, a solo shot that was the only run the Pirates scored.

The offence of the Cannons was led by second baseman Erik Johnson (three hits, one run), outfielder Nelson Simmons (two hits, two RBIs, one run), shortstop Francisco Matos (two hits, one run) and catcher Keith Osik (two hits, two RBIs). Veteran infielder Dale Sveum also scored a run, as the Cannons marched to a 5-1 triumph. Starting pitcher John Hope held the Pirates scoreless over five innings to secure the win for the home side.

JULY 31, 1995, TELUS FIELD

Tony La Russa returned to Edmonton as manager of the Oakland Athletics – the new parent club of the Trappers – while MLB was recovering from a devastating work stoppage.

This time, the skipper had an even more impressive lineup of star players with him for the exhibition tilt between MLB regulars and minor-league dream chasers, including Mark McGwire, Rickey Henderson, Ruben Sierra, Dennis Eckersley, Ron Darling and Todd Stottlemyre.

McGwire, who was coming off the disabled list, took batting practice at Telus Field on July 31 and gave on-lookers a show before the game even got going.

“Everybody wants to see that,” Trapper outfielder Scott Bryant told Journal columnist Cam Cole of the BP display.

“He’s just … unnatural strong. It’s sick. There’s nobody that has that kind of pop. That’s what we were talking about. A swing so short and quick and he gets so much power out of it – that one round, he got six hacks and took six balls out of the yard.”

McGwire signs autographs at Telus Field in 1995 … Edmonton Journal image

McGwire acknowledged that he could hear gasps from the crowd while he took his hacks, but he downplayed the performance.

“The objective in BP isn’t to hit homers, it’s to drive the ball, and if it happens to leave the park, that’s cool. But I’ve never considered myself the show and I never will. This is a team sport,” said McGwire, who ended up smashing 39 long balls in 104 games in 1995.

When the game got underway, the “Bash Brother” played three innings at first base before switching to a designated hitter role (which is not normally a legal substitution, but it was an exhibition game and McGwire needed the at bats).

In the fifth inning Single-A callup Gary Haught hit McGwire with a pitch, but the 6-foot-5 slugger broke with convention again and refused to go to first base.

“I just had to get my turns at bat. I wanted another try at it,” the Californian told the Journal. “The pitch barely grazed me. You’re facing a young kid like that, he’s probably a little bit nervous.”

Sadly, Haught walked McGwire on the next pitch, prompting heckles from some of the 9,200 fans in attendance. The crowd got what it came for in the seventh inning, however, when McGwire hit a 3-1 offering from Haught over the left-field wall. The blast didn’t have the same oomph as his BP bombs did, but it was a ticket around the bases, nonetheless.

More importantly, the game was fun for both the players and those who paid $10 to $15 to see it. A grinning McGwire was autographing programs between innings and waving to the fans. Retired third baseman Carney Lansford, a bench coach for the Athletics who would later return to Edmonton to manage the Trappers in 1999, suited up and took a spot in the infield. He ended up scoring a run and driving in another.

“The only time a game like this is a pain in the butt is when you come into a city where it doesn’t seem like the people are that excited to see you, and only half the park is sold,” La Russa told Cole.

“But with a crowd like that, enthusiastic, the guys see it’s a packed house, and they want to put on a good show.”

The final inning of the 9-7 Oakland victory over Edmonton included a touch of entertainment that MLB fans were never treated to.

La Russa, who was 50 years old at the time, decided to trade in his cap for a batting helmet, pick out an aluminum bat, and head towards home plate. As he waited in the on-deck circle, McGwire told his skipper he’d buy him a new Jaguar luxury car if he could jack a pitch out of the ballpark.

“I figured I was pretty safe,” McGwire said after the game.

The manager fouled one of them off before popping out to Edmonton first baseman Jim Bowie.

AUGUST 18, 1997, TELUS FIELD

The Athletics were back in Edmonton for a rematch just a couple years later with skipper Art Howe drawing up the lineup card.

Mark McGwire wasn’t around for this sunny Monday afternoon game that was attended by 7,565 fans, but there were some familiar faces that made the trek with the A’s.

Infielder Scott Spiezio – who won a PCL championship with Edmonton and was named the 1996 Trapper of the Year – was excited to be back.

“You know, I hadn’t even seen our PCL championship trophy from last season until I walked in here today,” Spiezio confessed in the Edmonton Journal.

“I think of what we accomplished last year. The celebration, all of our fans going crazy, me pouring champagne over everybody’s head. I have good memories here. I get a good feeling here.”

Spiezio’s teammate in both Edmonton and Oakland, Canadian outfielder Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.), expressed similar gratitude for his time in both cities.

“These last two seasons with Oakland have really turned my career around,” said Stairs, who is now a hitting coach with the Okotoks Dawgs.

“Now, I’m having fun, enjoying the game again. Things are going well for me.”

The Trappers got the better of the A’s in the 25-hit exhibition game, claiming a 7-4 victory. Outfielder Jose Herrera generated three hits and three RBIs for the Trap, while infielder Mark Bellhorn smacked a triple that scored two runs for the Athletics.

Oakland’s third base coach, Ron Washington, was a substitution in the sixth inning. Now the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, Washington struck out swinging, but he stayed in the game long enough to play second base before grounding out in his next at bat.

“This has been a funny season,” Howe told reporters.

“We’ve got 13 guys in our clubhouse who played here this season. More than half the roster. We’ve seen so many guys, on a day like this, you can almost flip the clubhouses around. What’s the difference? This is almost like a meeting point or something – guys with us now, guys who’ve been with us and guys who will be with us.”