BWDIK: Baba, Brash, Caissie, McCaskill, Naylor, O'Neill, Pivetta
Junior National Team alum Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) had another strong start for the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
September 14, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:
Rest in peace, Jim Baba
Former Baseball Canada executive director Jim Baba passed away on Friday at the age of 69 after a long battle with blood cancer.
Jim had a kind and baseball-shaped heart. He was part of the soul of baseball in this country.
It’s hard for me to think of anyone who has given more to baseball in Canada than him.
On a personal note, Jim was always very supportive of my work. He was a regular reader and up until last week, he was responding to my “Questions of the Day” on social media. I last spoke with him in June when we talked about National Teams director Greg Hamilton’s induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Jim mentioned to me that he had just got out of the hospital, but his voice was strong and his pride for Greg was unmistakable.
Jim was an inspirational guy. I’m better for having known him.
My condolences to his family and the staff at Baseball Canada.
You can read more about Jim’s tremendous career here.
Naylor’s hot streak helps Mariners into share of AL West lead
The Seattle Mariners have won eight games in a row and Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) is one of the key reasons for their streak.
In his past seven games, Naylor is 8-for-24 (.333 batting average) with two home runs and six RBIs. He also added four more stolen bases during that stretch to bring his season total to 27.
Earlier in the week, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame noted that Naylor had become just the seventh Canadian major leaguer to record 50 stolen bases and belt 100 home runs in their career.
Naylor’s performance has Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto interested in resigning him, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The 28-year-old Naylor is a free agent after the season.
Overall, in 43 games since joining the Mariners in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24, Naylor is batting .260 with eight home runs, 23 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
Combining his numbers with the D-Backs and M’s, the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team grad is batting .282 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs in 136 games.
Brash dominant out of M’s pen
And Naylor isn’t the only Canadian excelling for the Mariners this season.
Right-hander Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.) continues to be a key member of their bullpen.
The Canuck righty collected his fourth save of the season in the M’s 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. In five September appearances, Brash has struck out eight batters and allowed just one run in five innings.
For the season, he owns a 1.85 ERA and has 54 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings in 49 games.
It has been a remarkable return for Brash who missed the entire 2024 season and the first month of the 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
In 2023, the 6-foot-1 righty developed into a go-to late-inning reliever for the Mariners. He led major league pitchers with 78 appearances and had a 9-4 record and a 3.06 ERA.
Caissie recalled by Cubs
The Chicago Cubs recalled Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) from triple-A on Saturday. The Canadian slugger was immediately inserted in the Cubs’ lineup. Batting eighth and starting in right field, he went 0-for-2 in the Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
On September 1, Caissie was optioned to triple-A after going 5-for-24 (.208 batting average) with a homer and four RBIs in 11 games in his first taste of big-league action.
A Fieldhouse Pirates and Junior National team alum, Caissie has been outstanding with triple-A Iowa this season. In 99 games, the 23-year-old slugger possesses a .286/.386/.551 slash line, a .937 OPS and has belted 22 home runs. In total, he has 106 hits, including 28 doubles.
The left-handed hitting outfielder has played five seasons in the Cubs’ organization.
Pivetta strong again in start for Padres
San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) threw seven scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his latest start on Wednesday. He surrendered just four hits, while fanning eight, but received a no-decision in the Reds’ 2-1 win.
That performance lowered Pivetta’s season ERA to 2.73 and increased his strikeout total to 180, which leaves him three shy of his career-high he established with the Boston Red Sox in 2023.
Pivetta will likely be the Padres’ Game 1 starter in the postseason. Here is how he ranks compared to other National League pitchers this season (NL ranks in brackets):
-13 wins (4th)
-.722 winning percentage (3rd)
-2.73 ERA (6th)
-171 1/3 IP (6th)
-180 Ks (10th)
-6.2 H/9 (2nd)
-0.951 WHIP (3rd)
-5.4 WAR (3rd)
Soroka close to return to Cubs
Right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) pitched 2 1/3 innings in his rehab start for the triple-A Iowa Cubs on Thursday. He permitted one run and struck out three. His fastball was clocked at 96.6 mph, which is a significant improvement over what it was prior to his most recent shoulder injury.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell told Associated Press that Soroka will be activated to make his next start. He didn’t say when, but it will likely be this week.
On August 4, in his sole start with the Cubs after they acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, the Canadian right-hander was removed after the second inning after experiencing right shoulder discomfort. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain.
Soroka’s 17 big league starts this season represent his most since 2019. Earlier in the campaign, the Junior National Team grad missed six weeks after suffering a right biceps injury in a start for the Nationals against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 31.
Quantrill signs with Rangers
The Texas Rangers signed right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) to a minor league contract last Sunday and assigned him to their triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.
The 30-year-old Canuck joined the Rangers’ organization just five days after being released by the Atlanta Braves. He’ll provide starting pitching depth for the Rangers whose rotation has been hit hard by injuries. Right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray are both out for the season and Tyler Mahle is attempting to work his work back from a shoulder injury.
Despite the injuries, the Rangers are 79-70 and just two games out of an American League Wild-Card spot.
The Rangers are Quantrill’s third big league organization this season. He started the campaign with the Miami Marlins.
The Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team alum struggled in his two starts for the Braves in August, allowing 12 runs in eight innings, after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins on August 21.
In 24 starts with the Marlins earlier this season, Quantrill was 4-10 with a 5.50 ERA.
He signed a one-year, $3.5-million contract with the Marlins in February.
In all, Quantrill has toed the rubber in seven big-league seasons with the Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Marlins and Braves. He is 47-46 with a 4.35 ERA in 187 appearances (149 starts).
O’Neill activated by the Orioles
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was activated by the Baltimore Orioles prior to their series against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday.
In the series’ first two games, he has served as the O’s DH and gone 1-for-7 with an RBI.
O’Neill had been on the 10-day injured list since August 8 with right wrist inflammation.
It has been a challenging first season with the Orioles for O’Neill. He also had two previous stretches on the injured list – first with neck inflammation and then with an impingement in his left shoulder.
In total, in 44 games in 2025, O’Neill is batting .205 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs.
The Langley Blaze and Junior National Team alum signed a three-year, $49.5-million contract with the O’s in December. He belted 31 home runs for the Red Sox last season and played his first six big league campaigns with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lopez putting up solid numbers for Marlins
Miami Marlins infielder Otto Lopez is heating up again. The 26-year-old, who spent part of his childhood in Montreal, is batting .345 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in his last 15 games.
This stretch has improved his batting average to .250 and he now has 14 home runs, 73 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 130 games. He is tied for first on the Marlins in RBIs and ranks second in hits (122) and WAR (3.4).
This is his second season as a regular with the Marlins and his first as their everyday shortstop.
Lopez, an ex-Blue Jay, played for Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Most MLB RBIs by a player born in Canada in 2025
82 – Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
80 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.)
73 – Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.)
39 – Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.)
32 – Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.)
27 – Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.)
24 – Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
11 – Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.)
8 – Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.)
6 – Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.)
4 – Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.)
1 – Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.)
Okotoks Dawgs Academy grad Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.), second from the left, was presented with the triple-A Durham Bulls’ MVP award prior to Friday’s game. Photo: Durham Bulls
Peters, Pitre named team MVPs in Rays’ organization
Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) and Emilien Pitre (Repentigny, Que.) have been named MVPs of the Tampa Rays’ triple-A Durham Bulls and High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods respectively.
With less than a week left in the Bulls’ regular season, Peters (Winkler, Man.), who also made his big league debut this year, leads the club with 120 hits and 63 walks in 129 games. He also ranks second on the team in doubles (25), triples (3) and RBIs (70) while putting together a .263/.354/.418 slash line.
Peters was also a regular on highlight reels thanks to his outstanding glove work in the outfield for the Bulls.
This is Peters’ third season in the Rays’ system after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants following the 2022 campaign. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent parts of two seasons in the Brewers’ organization prior to being traded to the Giants.
As a teenager, Peters honed his skills with Team Manitoba before he landed with the Okotoks Dawgs Academy.
Pitre (Repentigny, Que.), meanwhile, excelled in his first full pro season after being chosen in the second round of the MLB draft by the Rays in 2024.
In 118 regular season games for the Hot Rods, the 22-year-old second baseman batted .268 and had a .356 on-base percentage. He topped the Hot Rods in hits (120) and doubles (23) and was second in triples (3), RBIs (63) and walks (61).
Pitre polished his skills with ABC and the Junior National Team and then excelled for three seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats prior to joining the pro ranks.
Thirty-five years ago today, the Griffeys went back-to-back off McCaskill
In 1990, Ken Griffey Jr. and his father Ken Griffey Sr. were teammates on the Mariners. On September 14 of that season, Senior and Junior clubbed back-to-back home runs in the first inning off Angels pitcher and Kapuskasing, Ont., native Kirk McCaskill. This marked the first – and only time – that a father and son have clubbed back-to-back homers in a major league game.
When McCaskill was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont., in 2003, he joked about having the dubious distinction of allowing back-to-back homers to the Griffeys.
“I didn’t feel that bad about it because they were both great hitters,” said McCaskill. “I did feel a little humiliated though when I looked over and saw Mrs. Griffey in the on-deck circle.”
Blue Jays set MLB record with 10 home runs in a game on this date in 1987
Thirty-eight years ago today, the Blue Jays set a single-game MLB record with 10 home runs against the Orioles in an 18-3 win at Exhibition Stadium.
The Blue Jays’ home run breakdown:
– Ernie Whitt – 3
– Rance Mulliniks – 2
– George Bell – 2
– Rob Ducey – first MLB HR
Fun Fact of the Week:
In wake of Kevin Gausman‘s shutout for the Blue Jays on Thursday, here’s a list of the number of shutouts thrown in a season by Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) in a 10-season span:
1967 – 3
1968 – 3
1969 – 7 (!)
1970 – 3
1971 – 3
1972 – 5
1973 – 2
1974 – 6
1975 – 4