O Canada

Make no mistake, we will always be known as a country that produces athletes that wield hockey sticks and not baseball bats. The (old) HNIC theme is our second national anthem, not Take Me Out To the Ballgame. That said, there is a baseball tradition in Canada that is almost as old as the game itself.

For the average Canadian, baseball extends back as far as the Toronto Blue Jays existence and for an older generation, the Montreal Expos. I can remember where I was when Joe Carter hit his homerun in the '93 World Series or George Bell caught that flyball in '85. There are however, many other significant moments in baseball history that either happened on Canadian soil or were a product of Canadians playing the game.

Some of the ones you may be aware of:

* 1914 - Babe Ruth hit his first professional homerun at Hanlan's point on Toronto Island

*1946 - Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier playing for the Montreal Royals (AAA affiliate of his future team, the Brooklyn Dodgers).

This pic is one of hate mail he received while playing in Cincinatti for Brooklyn. These letters can be found in the Cincinatti Reds Museum.

 

 * 1991 - Fergusun Jenkins becomes the first Canadian elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

He will be at the Canadian Little League Championships on August 7th to throw out the first pitch.






Some you might not be aware of:
* the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) were originally the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1895-1967
* the Vancouver Asahis, formed in 1914, were a professional baseball team comprised of Japanese Canadians that played in the Terminal City League. They toured Japan in 1921 in much the same way current MLB All-Stars do.
* prior to Toronto being awarded a Major League Baseball team in 1977, the San Francisco Giants were rumoured to be moving to Toronto if not for Bob Lurie, who purchased the team to keep it in SF.
* one of the earliest baseball games on record dates back to June 4, 1838 played in Beechville, Ontario

I realize this is a VERY simple list. If you have any other interesting facts, please share.