St. Marys – If the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox tonight for the American League wild card berth, it would add Justin Morneau and Jesse Crain to the post-season mix, totalling a record-setting eight Canadians delaying their Autumn golf games. Morneau (New Westminster, BC), the 2006 AL MVP, has had another MVP-type year for the Twins, playing every one of their 162 games, bashing 23 homeruns, 47 doubles and knocking in 129 while batting .302. The Toronto-born Crain, who has appeared in 66 games as a reliever, compiling a 3.59 ERA, and has allowed just one run in nine September appearances, giving up just six hits while striking out eight.
The Boston Red Sox newest favourite son, Trail BC's Jason Bay, will see the post-season for the first time. The 2004 National League Rookie of the Year was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Red Sox on July 31st in a three-way deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in just 49 games as their new defending World Series champion's left fielder, Bay has 54 hits, 23 for extra bases, including nine home runs, 37 RBI, a .293 batting average and a .527 slugging percentage. Scarborough, Ontario's George Kottaras was called up by the Red Sox for September, and will likely accompany the team throughout the playoffs, but probably won't be named to the final roster.
While there are no Canadians on the Tampa Bay Rays or Anaheim Angels' rosters, there is at least one on every National League playoff team, which means at least one Canuck will make it to the World Series.
Ryan Dempster gets the nod as the Chicago Cubs NL Division Series versus the Dodgers, just the second time in history that a Canadian has toed the rubber for the first game of the playoffs. Vancouver's Jeff Francis was the first in 2007 with the Colorado Rockies. The Gibsons, BC native who Lou Pinella has converted back to a starting pitcher has compiled a 17-6 record this season with a 2.96 ERA.
And speaking of the Cubs, this will be the first time in history that two Canadian pitchers on the same pitching staff hit the post-season. Rich Harden, who was traded to the Cubs from the Oakland Athletics on July 8th, has given the north-side of Chicago an amazing north-of-the-49th-parallel 1-2 punch on the mound. The Victoria, BC native has chalked up a 5-1 record and a 1.77 ERA, striking out 89 in just 71 innings pitched. Harden's WHIP ratio is under 1.00, which means he has given up less hits (39) plus walks (30) than innings pitched, and that is nothing short of amazing.
On the other side of the field dawning Dodger-blue will be Montreal's Russell Martin. The two-time NL All-Star and 2007 Tip O'Neill Award winner set Canadian records this season in catching 155 games and compiling 553 at bats. Martin batted .280 while smacking 13 homeruns, 25 doubles, and cashing in 69 RBI.
The oldest of the 2008 playoff-bound Canucks will be Fredericton's Matt Stairs, who, at 40, was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 30th, just in time to be eligible for the post-season. The ultimate role player has had another stellar year, amassing 13 homeruns, 12 doubles and 49 RBI in just 337 at bats this season. In an article about Canadiana, it is notable to mention that Pat Gillick, who was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, is the general manager of the Phillies.
Lastly, reliever Eric Gagné (Mascouche, QC) has had a brilliant September with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner hasn't allowed a run in his last nine outings, giving up just two hits while striking out eight. The other Canadian element with the Brewers of course is their top two brass, GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash. Also, field manager Dave Sveum, who replaced Ned Yost in a controversial move with just eleven games remaining in the season, played for the Calgary Cannons triple-A franchise in 1996. Gagné and Stairs become the first Canadians ever to enter the playoffs with three different organizations.
"Dale was our 'Crash Davis'," said Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame president & CEO Tom Valcke, who was the GM of the Cannons when Sveum played there, referring to Kevin Costner's character in the movie Bull Durham.
"I've never waivered from that year saying who my favourite player was - it was Dale all the way. He was a total class act, on and off the field. He taught the younger blue chippers the inside of the game, and he set an ongoing example of how to interact with media, fans, staff and sponsors."
Prior to this season, 2004 was the year that the most Canadians entered the playoffs, as Morneau, Crain, and Gagné were accompanied by Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC), Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, ON), Corey Koskie (Anola, MB)and Chris Reitsma (Calgary, AB).
O'Neill (Woodstock, ON) has compiled the most playoff games for a Canadian with 38, compiled with the St. Louis Browns from 1885-1888.
George "Twinkletoes" Selkirk (Huntsville, ON) has had the most success in the playoffs of any Canadian, winning five World Series Championships in six attempts (1936-39, 41-42).
Ron Taylor (Toronto) has the best Canadian pitching stats in playoff history, with 10.1 scoreless innings including his participation with the St. Louis Cardinals (1964) and the New York Mets (1969).
The first Canadian to enter the MLB post-season was Toronto's Arthur "Foxy" Irwin with Providence in 1884. The first Canadian to pitch in the playoffs was Johnny "Doc" Rutherford (Belleville, ON) in 1952 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
