Glew - BWDIK: Estrada, Hicks, Peters, Pivetta, Rogers, Sabrowski, Smith
Chilliwack Cougars and Junior National Team grad Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) recorded the save for the Cleveland Guardians in their American League Division Series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
October 11, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Smith dominating for Guardians in postseason
It was fitting that Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) recorded the save for the Cleveland Guardians in their American League Division Series clinching 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox last night.
Smith, who struck out four of the five batters he faced, pitched in every game of the series.
In five 2026 playoff appearances, he has permitted just one run on two hits and has fanned 11 batters in 6 2/3 innings.
As Zach Worden, of Sportsnet, pointed out with Smith’s two-inning performance in the Guardians’ 9-3 win over the White Sox in Game 3 on Wednesday, the 6-foot-5 righty moved into second among Canadians for most innings pitched in the MLB postseason. Including last night’s performance, Smith has now thrown 20 postseason innings.
He trails only Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) who has tossed 26 1/3 innings.
Smith and the Guardians will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series set to begin on Monday at 8 p.m. E.T.
Pivetta sets another Canadian postseason record
Speaking of Pivetta, when the Victoria, B.C., native started for the San Diego Padres in the Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, it represented the fourth postseason start of his career. According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, that moved Pivetta past Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) and James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) into first place for most postseason starts by a Canadian.
Pivetta allowed two runs on five hits, while striking out four, in 4 1/3 innings for the Padres in their 4-3 victory. The win kept the Padres alive in the series, but they were eliminated the following day.
In all, Pivetta permitted three runs in 7 2/3 innings in two starts for the Padres this postseason and struck out eight batters.
The Victoria Eagles and Junior National Team grad also holds the Canadian MLB postseason record for most strikeouts with 31.
Peters named to MLB All-Rookie First Team
White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) was named an outfielder on MLB Pipeline’s All-Rookie First Team on Tuesday.
The White Sox couldn’t have predicted how good Peters would be in his first full big league season after they purchased him from the Rays on December 18. Peters had a reputation as an excellent fielder, but the Okotoks Dawgs grad quickly showed he could also handle himself at the plate. He finished the regular season with a .265/.337/.437 slash line with 12 home runs, 31 doubles, four triples and eight stolen bases.
On top of that, the Canuck outfielder had hits in six of seven postseason games for the White Sox. In total, he went 6-for-21 (.286 batting average) with two RBIs this postseason.
Sabrowski earns first postseason win
Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) earned his first postseason win on Thursday when he tossed a scoreless inning in relief in his club’s 9-5 victory over the White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS.
According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Sabrowski became the 11th Canadian to register a win in the MLB postseason, the others are his teammate Smith, Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.), Matt Brash (Kingston, Ont.), Ron Taylor (Toronto, Ont.), John Hiller (Toronto, Ont.), Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.), Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) and Pivetta.
Sabrowski is also the first Albertan to record a postseason win.
The Canadian southpaw also registered a hold in the Guardians’ series clinching win over the White Sox last night. Sabrowski was summoned into the game with two outs in the sixth inning and struck out Munetaka Murakami, the only batter he faced.
Millson third Graney Award winner we’ve lost in 2026
One of my volunteer roles with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is to chair their Jack Graney Award committee. The Hall presents this award annually to a member of the media who has made significant contributions to baseball in Canada through their life’s work.
To say 2026 has been a devastating year would be an understatement.
When longtime Globe and Mail reporter Larry Millson died on Tuesday, he became the third Graney winner that has passed away this year. Beloved Montreal Expos broadcasters Rodger Brulotte and Jacques Doucet died on March 20 and August 27 respectively.
They were all legends in the Canadian baseball media and I will miss them dearly.
Forty-one years ago, Brett almost single-handedly beat Blue Jays
George Brett was a Blue Jay killer.
Any longtime Toronto Blue Jays fan is likely to tell you that.
And of the seemingly countless games in which the Hall of Fame third baseman teed off on Blue Jays’ pitching, Game 3 of the 1985 American League Championship Series – played 41 years ago today – stands out the most.
In that contest, the three-time American League batting champion almost single-handedly defeated the Blue Jays. With Toronto up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Royals were desperate for a victory. And while Brett had smacked a solo home run down the right field line in the first inning and a double off the right-centre field wall in the third, the Blue Jays still led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth at Royals Stadium.
With 17-game winner Doyle Alexander on the mound, the Blue Jays seemed poised to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the series. But Brett had other plans. After Willie Wilson singled to start the Royals’ sixth inning, Brett walloped a fastball from Alexander over the left-centre field fence to tie the game.
“He had hit three different pitches to three different locations of the ballpark,” recalled Buck Martinez, in his 1985 book, From Worst to First, of Brett’s first three at bats in that playoff game.
For good measure, Brett singled to lead off the eighth inning and came around to score the winning run in the Royals’ 6-5 comeback win. For the night, Brett was 4-for-4, with four runs and three RBIs. The Royals, of course, went on the win the ALCS and the World Series.
Freeman rising up postseason homer ranks
Freddie Freeman socked two home runs in the National League Division Series to help the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminate his former team, the Atlanta Braves, in four games.
Freeman, whose parents were born in Canada, now has 19 career postseason home runs, which is tied for seventh all-time.
Manny Ramirez has clubbed the most MLB postseason home runs (29). He’s followed by Jose Altuve (28), Kyle Schwarber (24), George Springer (23), Bernie Williams (22) and Derek Jeter (20).
Four players are tied with Freeman with 19: Max Muncy, Corey Seager, Albert Pujols and Alex Bregman.
Freeman and the Dodgers are set to face the Brewers in the National League Championship Series beginning tonight at 8 p.m. E.T.
34th anniversary of Alomar home run
Almost any longtime Blue Jays fan can tell you exactly where they were 34 years ago today when Roberto Alomar walked to the plate against Oakland A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in the top of the ninth inning in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and belted a two-run home run to tie the game at six.
The Blue Jays had trailed 6-1 until the eighth inning. Alomar’s home run sent the game into extra innings and the Blue Jays eventually won 7-6 in 11 innings when Derek Bell scored on catcher Pat Borders’ sacrifice fly.
Hicks off to first ALCS
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) is off to his first American League Championship Series.
Though he went just 1-for-10 in the Rays’ three-game sweep of the Yankees in the ALDS, he was excellent defensively behind the plate.
It has been a remarkable baseball journey for Hicks who less than two years ago was left unprotected by the Detroit Tigers in the Rule 5 draft and selected by the Miami Marlins.
The Rays acquired the Toronto Mets grad from the Marlins on Aug. 3, and he has been a key part of their team ever since. In 41 regular season games with the Rays, he had a .288/.379/.440 slash line with four home runs and 20 RBIs.
In total, Hicks, who also played for Canada in the World Baseball Classic in March, batted .284 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs in 142 regular season games between the Marlins and Rays in 2026.
Rogers tossed a shutout to propel Expos to NLCS 45 years ago
Forty-five years ago today, Steve Rogers pitched a shutout for the Montreal Expos against Steve Carlton and the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
With their 3-0 win, the Expos advanced to the NLCS against the Dodgers.
It was the second time that Rogers outpitched Carlton in the series. The Expos right-hander also allowed just one run in 8 2/3 innings in Game 1 to lead the Expos to a 3-1 victory.
Estrada saved Blue Jays season 11 years ago
Eleven years ago today, with his team down 2-0 to the Texas Rangers in the best-of-five ALDS and facing elimination, Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada pitched a gem. He held the Rangers to one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings at Globe Life Ballpark in Arlington. Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to help secure the 5-1 win and keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
Hartman named Braves’ top hitting prospect by MLB Pipeline
Eric Hartman (St. Albert, Alta.) has been named the Atlanta Braves’ Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline.
The announcement was made on Wednesday.
This is just the latest accolade for the 20-year-old Okotoks Dawgs alum.
Earlier this month, he was named the Braves’ Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and Breakout Prospect of the Year by MiLB.com.
The 20-year-old Albertan put together a .249/.350/.456 slash line and had 26 home runs and 56 stolen bases in 128 games between the High-A Rome Emperors and double-A Columbus Clingstones.
Selected in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft by the Braves, Hartman is proving to be the steal of that draft.
On Canada Day this year, he belted his 20th home run of the season to become the first player in the history of the High-A Emperors to club 20 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season. And he did it in just 71 games.
The 2026 campaign represented Hartman’s second in pro ball. In 2025, he batted .240 with five home runs and 48 stolen bases in 90 games between the FCL Braves and the class-A Augusta Green Jackets.
Remembering Cory Lidle
Please take a moment to remember former Blue Jays pitcher Cory Lidle who died 20 years ago today when the small plane he was in crashed into an apartment building in New York City.
He was just 34 years old.
The 5-foot-11 right-hander made 31 starts for the Blue Jays in 2003 and posted a 12-15 record and a 5.75 ERA.
In all, he recorded 82 big league wins and a 4.57 ERA in 277 appearances in parts of nine seasons with the New York Mets, Rays, A’s, Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Phillies and Yankees.
Caissie hit longest home run of season for Marlins
Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) hit the longest home run of the season for the Miami Marlins.
It was a three-run shot off Colorado Rockies right-hander John Brebbia in the eighth inning on June 30 at Coors Field that travelled 453 feet.
It was one of 14 home runs Caissie clubbed for the Marlins in 2026.
The Fieldhouse Pirates and Junior National Team grad was in his first season with the Marlins after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs as part of the package for right-hander Edward Cabrera on January 7.