St. Marys – Dave Stieb and Steve Rogers, the all-time pitching leaders of the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos, respectively, have been named inductees to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. Long-time Team Canada trainer Harold "Doc" Younker and journeyman Charles "Pop" Smith (posthumously) will also be inducted at the ceremony slated for Saturday, June 25 in St. Marys, Ontario.
"It is fitting to honour Stieb and Rogers simultaneously, since both of them stand out so clearly in Canadian major league history," said Hall president & CEO Tom Valcke. "We're also ecstatic to add a grass roots builder like Doc Younker (Langley, BC) who never saw the limelight, as well as the much overdue Pop Smith (Digby, NS), who played over a thousand games in the majors."
Dave Stieb, whose 15 years with the Blue Jays remains the longest tenure of any player, holds several Blue Jays all-time records, including wins (175), innings pitched (2,873), strikeouts (1,658), games started (408), complete games (103) and shutouts (30). << Note: Jim Clancy ranks second in wins (128) and innings pitched (2,204.2) >>. He was selected to seven All-Star games, starting two of them (1983 and 1984). He was named Pitcher of the Year in 1982 by The Sporting News when he led the American League in complete games (19), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (288.1). He was named Blue Jays pitcher of the year six times and threw the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history (September 2, 1990 vs. Cleveland). In 1984, he led the AL again in innings pitched (267) and in 1985 he had the lowest ERA in the AL (2.48). He had ten double-digit win seasons, and won 15 or more games six times. Stieb is the only pitcher on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.
While in Toronto, Stieb was the Celebrity Chairman for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Patron for the Kennedy House Youth Services Inc.
"I am proud and honored to have a place in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame," said Stieb from his home in Reno, Nevada. "I am grateful to the Blue Jay organization and to the people whose insight and confidence in my ability afforded me the opportunity to play baseball at the major league level in the great city of Toronto. Last, but not least, thanks to the fans of Toronto for their support through 15 seasons."
Stieb is married to Patricia, and has three children: Andrew, Ashley and Abigail.
Steve Rogers dominates the record books of the Montreal Expos in a similar manner. He is the all-time Expos leader in wins (158), innings pitched (2,837.2), strikeouts (1,621), games started (393), complete games (129) and shutouts (37). << Note: Denis Martinez ranks second in wins (100) and innings pitched (1,609) >>. His best year was 1982 when he won 19 games and compiled a 2.40 ERA. He played in five All-Star games, starting the 1982 game in Montreal. He was voted National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1973, when he was also named to the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team. He had ten double-digit win seasons, and won 15 or more games five times. Rogers was named to the Expos Hall of Fame in 1994.
Rogers lived year-round in Montreal during his playing days, and was involved with the Special Olympics and children's hospital visits, as well as youth baseball clinics throughout Quebec and Ontario during the off-season.
"I am absolutely thrilled with this news," said Rogers from his current office at the Major League Baseball Players Association in New York. "To be remembered by Canada is special, and I mean it when I say that this will be the greatest honour I ever receive in my lifetime!"
Rogers is married to Robin, and has three children: Jason, Geoffrey and Jennifer.
Harold "Doc" Younker has been a volunteer trainer in baseball for more than 50 years, from the grass roots system all the way up to Canada's national teams, including trips to the Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Intercontinental Cups. He has also contributed his vast knowledge and expertise to the Canada Summer Games, the National Baseball Institute, and the University of British Columbia baseball program. Beginning in 1953, some of the professional teams he assisted include the Vancouver Capilanos, the Vancouver Mounties, the Yakult Swallows and the San Diego Padres for nine years. He also taught First Aid and Physiotherapy, and many of his students are practicing today.
"I can't believe it," Younker exclaimed from his home in Langley, BC. He then had to ask Baseball Canada president Ray Carter, who called to inform him of his selection, to call him back. After Younker, 83, gathered himself from an emotional outpouring, he told Carter that "truly, this completes my circle of life."
Younker and his wife Mary recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary, and they have three children: Bev, Pat and Vicki.
Charles "Pop" Smith played the most games (1,093) of any eligible Canadian player not in the Hall of Fame, and he is ranked 8th all-time for career games by a Canadian, 8th in hits (935), 6th in runs (633), 4th in triples (87), and 3rd in stolen bases (192). << Note: Larry Walker (still active) leads virtually every offensive category, except triples where Jeff Heath leads with 102 (Walker has 61) >>. He holds the record for most games played at 2nd base by a Canadian and for most major league games played by a person born in Nova Scotia. Smith, whose playing days were between 1880 and 1891 led the American Association in triples in 1883, when he batted .262 and hit his first homerun. He played with Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Worchester, Louisville, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Boston and Washington.
Charles Marvin "Pop" Smith was born in Digby, Nova Scotia on October 12, 1856 and died in Boston on April 18, 1927 at the age of 70. The Hall is seeking assistance in tracking down any living relatives. Smith was married and had one son, Arthur Dixwell Smith
His nickname was not surprising,as newspapers and players started calling him "Pop" by the end of the 1880's, when his signature mustache became bushy giving him an older appearance.
In 1890, The Sporting News wrote of Smith: "He knows every point of the game, is thoroughly familiar with the tricks of the business and is quick to take advantage of every play that will help his side win."
In 1897, The New York Clipper referred to Smith as: "Agile and graceful, a sure catch, a swift and accurate thrower."
Below is a list of current Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum inductees:
1983
John Ducey
Phil Marchildon
James (Tip) O’Neill
Lester B. Pearson
George Selkirk
Frank Shaughnessy
1984
Andrew Bilesky
Charles Bronfman
Jack Graney
Claude Raymond
Goody Rosen
1985
Carmen Bush
Jack Kent Cooke
Dick Fowler
John Hiller
Ron Taylor
1986
Reggie Cleveland
Bob Emslie
Oscar Judd
Bob Prentice
1987
Russ Ford
George (Moon) Gibson
Ferguson Jenkins
Glenn (Rocky) Nelson
1988
Beachville & Zorra Amateur Teams (1838)
Reno Bertoia
Ted Bowsfield
Jeff Heath
Bill Phillips
Ron Piché
1989
Robert Brown
Arthur Irwin
1990
Jimmy Archer
1991
Jackie Robinson
Pete Ward
Jimmy Williams
1992
Tom Burgess
National Youth Team (1991)
1995
Terry Puhl
1996
Justin Jay Clarke
Father Ronald Cullen
Frank O’Rourke
1997
Pat Gillick
John McHale
1998
Canadian-born AAGPBL Players
George “Knotty” Lee
Ron Roncetti
1999
Frank Colman
Bobby Mattick
George Sleeman
2000
Jim Fanning
2001
Gary Carter
Dave McKay
2002
Paul Beeston
Cito Gaston
Don McDougall
Dave Shury
Harry Simmons
Bill Slack
2003
Richard Belec
Joe Carter
Kirk McCaskill
Vancouver Asahi
2004
Andre Dawson
Peter Hardy
Joseph John Lannin
Jim McKean
2005 (will be inducted on June 25)
Steve Rogers
Charles "Pop" Smith
Dave Stieb
Harold "Doc" Younker
