St. Marys - Matt Stairs will become the 15th Canadian to play in a World Series when the Philadelphia Phillies travel to Tampa Bay for Game 1 versus the Rays. Certainly, the St. John-born, Tay River-housed, Fredericton-raised, New Brunswicker, who walloped a back-breaking homer in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series versus the Dodgers, is more likely to see more action in Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 since those games are played in the American League ballpark and thus will utilize the designated hitter in the batting order.
Matt Stairs was the only survivor of six Canadians who made it to the post-season, outlasting Russell Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers), Jason Bay (Boston Red Sox), Eric Gagné (Milwaukee Brewers), Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster (Chicago Cubs).
"As much as we were rooting for all of the Canucks here at the Hall, we knew this may legitimately be Matty's last chance. Why does Canada love Matt Stairs? Aside from his 1,300-hit and 255-homerun career totals, did you see the way he handled the 450-foot bomb that he launched in the eighth inning of Game 4 in LA with the score tied five-five?," posed Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame president & CEO Tom Valcke.
"Even though it was clearly the deciding blow of the series, not to mention the most significant homerun of his illustrious career, he didn't stand at the plate and watch it. He didn't wave his arms or pump his fists or trash-talk the opponents or do a dance on home plate. He, like most Canadian icons such as Mike Weir, Steve Nash, Wayne Gretzky, or Larry Walker would have, simply ran around the bases and retreated to the dugout in a non-chalant manner that made it look like just another day at the office. I'll remember his 'business-as-usual' homerun trot as much as the homerun itself. It was the ultimate in class."
Stairs has toiled for 11 major league teams, and spent a year in pro ball in Japan as well (1994). He began with the Montreal Expos in 1992-93, then joined the Boston Red Sox in 1995, the Oakland Athletics from 1996-2000, the Chicago Cubs in 2001, the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003, the Kansas City Royals from 2004-2006, the Texas Rangers in 2006, the Detroit Tigers in 2006, the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007-08, and the Phillies scooped him up August 29th, just in time to include him on their post-season roster.
Who felt that Stairs was a necessary ingredient in the Phillies formula? It was Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame 1997 inductee, Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, one of the most Canadian Americans we've come to know. Ironically, it was the Gillick-led Toronto Blue Jays who defeated the Phillies in the 1993 World Series, the last time Philadelphia made it to the final pairing.
Stairs, second in career homeruns by a Canadian to Walker (383) and tied for second with Jeff Heath in at bats to Walker (6,907), joins these fellow Canucks who have played in the World Series, which officially began in 1903: Gagné and Jeff Francis (2007), Walker (2004), Rob Butler (1993), Reggie Cleveland (1975), Ron Taylor (1964 and 1969), John Hiller (1968), Johnny Rutherford (1952), George "Twinkletoes" Selkirk (1936-39 and 1941-42), Jack Graney (1920), Larry McLean (1913), George "Moonie" Gibson (1909), Jimmy Archer (1907 and 1910) and Bill O'Neill (1906).
The list of World Series champions shrinks even more, as only Bill O'Neill, Gibson, Graney, Selkirk (five times), Hiller, Taylor, Butler and Gagné have won a ring.
Selkirk has played the most World Series games (21), amassing a .265 batting average (18-for-68), two homeruns, one triple, two doubles, 11 runs, 10 RBI, a .367 on-base percentage, and a .412 slugging percentage.
In the homerun department, only two Canadians have ever hit a homerun in World Series action. Walker, in 2004, homered in Game 1 v. Tim Wakefield, and again in Game 3 v. Keith Foulke. In 1936, Selkirk homered in Game 1 v. Carl Hubbell and again in Game 5 v. Hal Schumacher.
