FIVE CANADIANS IN BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

Jason Bay, Russell Martin, Matt Stairs,
Jess Crain, Blake Hawksworth

St. Marys - If the Boston Red Sox decide to keep catcher George Kottaras (Toronto, ON) on their playoff roster, and if the Minnesota Twins' first baseman Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) and Colorado Rockies' left-hander Jeff Francis (Vancouver, BC) weren't hurt, there would be an all-time record for Canadians playing in Major League Baseball's post-season.

But still, 2009 is going to be a year where baseball fans north of the 49th from coast to coast have plenty to cheer for, including the Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay (Trail, BC), the Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin (East York, ON), the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies outfielder and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs (St. John, NB), the Twins reliever Jesse Crain (Toronto), and the St. Louis Cardinals reliever Blake Hawksworth (North Vancouver, BC).

Add in New York Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson (Sarnia, ON), Cardinals first base coach Dave McKay (Vancouver), Phillies Senior Advisor Pat Gillick (Canadian Baseball Hall-of-Famer), together with Morneau and Francis rooting on their teammates from the dugout, and it's only the Los Angeles Angels that don't have an element tied to the Maple Leaf.

A record seven Canucks participated in the 2004 playoffs, including Morneau, Crain, Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC), Corey Koskie (Anola, MB), Eric Gagné (Mascouche, QC), Chris Reitsma (Calgary, AB), and Paul Quantrill (London, ON). Last year, there were six, consisting of Stairs, Martin, Bay, Gagné, Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, BC), and Rich Harden (Victoria, BC). Bay tore it up for the Red Sox, batting .341 in 11 games, logging 14 hits, three homeruns, three doubles and nine RBI. But it was Stairs who Canadians remember the most from last October, as his pinch-hit home run bomb off the Dodgers Jonathan Broxton in Game 4 of the NLCS turned the series around and propelled the Phillies to the World Series championship. It was Stairs 254th career homerun, but none were bigger.

Bay heads into the 2009 post-season with the hottest bat and the most likely chance to win a ring, leading the Red Sox with 36 homeruns and 119 RBI. Martin led the majors in most innings caught (1,201), total chances, most putouts, most assists by a catcher, and was second in games started (133) to Yadier Molina (136). The 41-year-old Stairs, who fell one game short of making it 13 consecutive seasons of playing in 100 games or more, will again serve as a left-handed pinch-hitter for the Phils. Crain, who pitched in the 10th and 11th innings of the Twins tie-breaker extra-inning win over the Tigers last night, had a second-half ERA of 2.76 over 32 games. Hawksworth, a rookie who has not yet been officially included on the Cardinals' NLDS roster but is expected to be, did not allow a run in the month of September, and compiled a 2.03 ERA in his 30 appearances. Thomson, who has now been a member of the Yankees organization for 20 years, managed the team twice this season in Joe Girardi's absence. McKay, already inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, is completing his 26th season as a major league coach, beginning with the Oakland Athletics and then following long-time friend Tony LaRussa to St. Louis in 1996.

The first Canadian to enter the MLB post-season was Arthur "Foxy" Irwin (Toronto) with Providence in 1884, and the first Canadian to pitch in the playoffs was Johnny "Doc" Rutherford (Belleville, ON) in 1952 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

James "Tip" O'Neill (Woodstock, ON) has compiled the most playoff games by a Canadian with 38, having done so with the St. Louis Browns from 1885-1888.

George "Twinkletoes" Selkirk (Huntsville, ON), has had the most success in the playoffs by any Canadian, winning five World Series Championships as a New York Yankee from 1936-39, and 1941-42.

ST. MARYS – 7 October 2009

For more information, please contact:

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum

P.O. Box 1838 (140 Queen St. E.)
St. Marys, ON, Canada, N4X 1C2
Tel: (519) 284-1838
Toll Free: 1-877-250-BALL
Fax: (519) 284-1234
Email: baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca

Website: www.baseballhalloffame.ca

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