St. Marys – What do you do for an encore after you’ve become the first Canadian to win the National League Rookie of the Year award?
Well, how about being selected to the All-Star team and leading your team in batting average (.306), home runs (32) and RBIs (101) in your sophomore campaign?
That’s how Jason Bay (Trail, BC) followed up his precedent-setting rookie season. For his efforts, he has been named the winner of the 2005 Tip O’Neill Award, a trophy presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.
On top of leading the Pirates in most offensive categories, the slugging outfielder set a new mark for most games played in a season by a Canadian (162). The previous record (157 games) was held by Terry Puhl (1979) and Pete Ward (1963). He also stole 21 consecutive bases. Bay took great pride in his defence as well, frequently flashing his leather on nightly highlight reels, adding four assists, and making only four errors in 330 chances.
British Columbia natives took the top five spots in voting. In a year when a number of Canucks turned in outstanding performances – including runner-up Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C.) who notched 33 saves for the Cubs in 35 save opportunities, third place Rich Harden (Victoria, BC) who won ten games and led all Canadian major league pitchers with a 2.53 ERA, fourth place Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) who belted 22 homers, 23 doubles and had 79 RBI for the Twins, and fifth place.Jeff Francis (Vancouver, BC) who registered team-leading 14 wins for the Rockies – receiving the award was particularly special, said Bay.
“To win this in a year when so many Canadians had good seasons is amazing,” a humbled Bay said.
“I’d love to win a World Series one day, but, on a personal level, it's very gratifying to recognized by your country.”
In winning the award, Bay becomes just the third multiple recipient of the trophy – Larry Walker (nine-time winner) and Eric Gagné (two-time winner) are the others.
"The other names on the Tip O'Neill trophy are huge," added Bay.
"To have my name associated with those two is an honour. Without Larry Walker's remarkable career, I might not be in the majors, and Eric Gagné is one of the game's elite closers."
Tom Valcke, Hall president & CEO, said he’s proud that the award is once again going to someone who not only excels on the field, but off of it as well.
“Jason’s accomplishments speak for themselves, and his class and professionalism gives Canada yet another tremendous ambassador in the major leagues. Last year, after he won the Rookie of the Year award, he gave his grant from the Player's Association to the Ronald McDonald house of Pittsburgh. That’s the kind of guy he is," said Valcke.
Bay will be presented with the Tip O'Neill Award during the 2006 season at a game to be designated by the Pittsburgh Pirates. His game jersey and the bat he used in one of his eight-RBI games are on display in the Hall’s museum.
Note: James 'Tip' O'Neill was one of Major League baseball's first legitimate stars. With the St. Louis Browns in 1887, O'Neill batted .492, Slg-.691, Hits-225, Doubles-52, Triples-19, Homeruns-14, Total Bases-357, Runs-167 (4th all-time for a single season), RBI's 123. The outfielder from Woodstock, Ontario set major league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage, and total bases that season while compiling an astounding .492 batting average (walks were included as hits in 1887, but if his average was calculated by today's standard, it was .435, the second highest in major league history to Hugh Duffy, .438).
