A total of 22 Canadian players suited up for Major League Baseball teams this season. Nine earned a chance to play in the post-season, but only three are still in the hunt for a World Series ring.
Toronto Blue Jays star slugger and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., alongside a pair of Seattle Mariners — first baseman Josh Naylor and reliever Matt Brash — are currently competing for the American League championship, one step away from a berth in the Fall Classic.
Only one of them — or more likely two — will get there. With the Mariners ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, it seems Mississauga’s Naylor and Kingston’s Brash have a better chance of vying for this year’s MLB championship later this month than Montreal-born Guerrero.
“It’s pretty neat whenever you do get to see Canadians go head-to-head,” said Adam Morissette, manager of communications at Baseball Canada. “Whenever there’s Canadians in the playoffs, it’s pretty awesome — because it doesn’t always happen.”
Both the Jays’ and Mariners’ Canadian-born first basemen have made a splash this post-season.
Guerrero, the only Canadian citizen on “Canada’s team”, was firing on all cylinders in the Jays’ opening series against the New York Yankees. After the first round, the 26-year-old five-time All-Star led the MLB playoffs in three offensive categories and ranked second in several others.
He was first, or tied for first, in RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS (on-base plus slugging). Through four post-season games, Guerrero stood second in total bases, home runs and batting average (.529).
Guerrero smacked the first playoff grand slam in Blue Jays history in Game 2 of the AL East division final and led the team to two record-setting routs of the Yankees in the two Toronto home games to start the series. The Jays’ 23 runs in Games 1 and 2 was the most by any team in the first two games of a playoff series in MLB history.
Guerrero was born in Montreal in March 1999, the son of a namesake father — Vladimir Guerrero Sr. — who played eight seasons with the Montreal Expos in a career that included American League MVP honours in 2004 and induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Guerrero Jr., a dual Canadian-Dominican Republic citizen, grew up mostly in the DR but still considers Canada his home.
“This was always my home, I am home,” Guerrero said in a video posted by the Blue Jays on April 9 this year, the day he signed a record-breaking 14-year, $500-million contract extension with the team. “This is where I first fell in love with the game, where my childhood dream got closer to reality.”
‘You don’t get many opportunities to play in the World Series, so Josh, Matt, Vladdy — any of them in the World Series is a fantastic moment for Canadian baseball.’
— Scott Crawford, director of operations, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Despite spending his childhood in his father’s home country, Guerrero has strong ties to Canada.
“I feel very proud of the two countries. I’m getting the support from both, not just for me, for the entire team,” Guerrero’s translator said after their series-clinching win against the Yankees.
Morissette says Guerrero has already made this a very special post-season for Canadian baseball fans.
“It’s terrific seeing him perform at the highest level and having the impact that he has on the series, and the ties to Canada and certainly him being Canadian-born is terrific to see,” he said.
Guerrero has started to cool off, however. Through the first two games of the American League Championship Series, the Jays’ franchise player failed to record a hit.
On the Seattle side, Naylor has had his fairly quiet post-season. But after a slow start in his first three playoff games, the 28-year-old MLB veteran has heated up, especially against his home country’s team. In the past four games, Naylor has recorded nine hits, four runs, two stolen bases and made some great plays at first base to help lift the Mariners to a 2-0 series lead over Toronto.
Naylor, who grew up a Blue Jays fan in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, became the first Canadian to homer against the Blue Jays in the post-season in Game 2. He bounced back from his 0-for-4 performance in Game 1 with a two-run homer that capped the Mariners’ 10-3 victory in Game 2.
“What better homecoming can you have to be in the playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays team (he) grew up watching and attending,” said Scott Crawford, director of operations at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
He’s excited about the fact that whether it’s Guerrero or the Naylor-Brash duo, a Canadian-born player is guaranteed a shot at the World Series.
“You don’t get many opportunities to play in the World Series, so Josh, Matt, Vladdy — any of them in the World Series is a fantastic moment for Canadian baseball,” said Crawford.
The Blue Jays will face the Mariners in Seattle tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 15) at 8:08 p.m. ET for Game 3 of the ALCS, looking to cut the series to 2-1. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Seattle beginning at 8:33 p.m. ET.
