BWDIK: Melvin, Onyshko, Sabrowski, Smith, Sprague
Prospects Baseball Academy alum Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) has three holds for the Cleveland Guardians this postseason.
October 18, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Smith sets Canadian postseason strikeout record
On Thursday, Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) had two strikeouts and picked up the save in his team’s 3-2 win over Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
With those two Ks, Smith has 33 MLB postseason strikeouts. This moves him past Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) for the most career MLB postseason strikeouts by a Canadian.
In seven appearances this postseason, Smith has permitted just one run in nine innings and has struck out 13 batters. He has two saves and opponents are hitting .069 against him.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander is in his third postseason with the Guardians. In the 22 postseason games the Guardians have played since 2024, Smith has appeared in 19 of them. Aside from his 33 Ks in those contests, Smith owns a 2-0 record and a 2.01 ERA. He has 33 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.
Sabrowski picks up another hold
In the Guardians’ Game 3 win, left-hander Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) tossed a scoreless seventh inning to register his third hold of the postseason.
The Canuck southpaw struggled to start the 2026 postseason – permitting three runs in his first two outings in the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox – but he has since settled down and allowed just one run in his last four appearances.
On October 8, Sabrowski became the first Alberta-born pitcher to collect a postseason win when he did so in Game 4 of the ALDS against the White Sox.
34th anniversary of Sprague’s World Series home run
Thirty-four years ago today, Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston sent rookie Ed Sprague up to pinch-hit for reliever Duane Ward in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 1992 World Series at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.
The Blue Jays had lost the series’ first game and trailed this contest 4-3. With one out and Derek Bell on base with a walk, Sprague belted the first pitch he saw from Atlanta Braves closer Jeff Reardon over the left field wall to put the Blue Jays ahead 5-4.
Blue Jays closer Tom Henke held the Braves off the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth to record the save.
Sprague’s home run is one of the most important in Blue Jays’ history. It shifted the momentum in the series that the Blue Jays eventually won in six games.
Mattick took over as Blue Jays manager 47 years ago
Forty-seven years ago today, the Blue Jays hired Bobby Mattick to be their new manager to replace Roy Hartsfield who had guided the expansion club in its first three seasons.
One of the Blue Jays’ original employees, Mattick was hired as the club’s scouting supervisor in 1976 prior to his promotion to director of player development in 1978.
When he accepted the Blue Jays’ field manager position, Mattick was 64, which made him the oldest rookie manager to start a season in big league history.
He would compile a 104-164 record in two seasons in the dugout before he returned to the front office, first as executive coordinator of baseball operations and then as the Blue Jays’ vice-president of baseball.
In 2003, the Blue Jays renamed their Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Fla., in his honour.
Melvin closer to first World Series ring
Longtime MLB general manager and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.) has been involved in professional baseball as a player or executive for more than 50 years. As a GM, he built teams in Texas (1996, 1998 and 1999) and Milwaukee (2008, 2011) that have advanced to the postseason, but the one thing that has eluded him is a World Series ring.
Melvin is currently a special assistant to the general manager with the Brewers who secured their spot in the World Series by completing a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
Born in 1952, Melvin pitched in the minors in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ and New York Yankees’ organizations from 1972 to 1978 then moved into the front office ranks.
He worked in a number of prominent posts, including as scouting director with the Yankees (1985) and as assistant GM and director of player personnel with the Baltimore Orioles (1988 to 1993) before landing his first general manager’s job with the Texas Rangers in 1994. During his time with the Rangers, he was named MLB executive of the year twice in 1996 and 1998.
After his tenure with the Rangers, he was named executive vice-president and general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 and was voted executive of the year in 2011 after the team won 96 regular season games and captured a National League Central Division title. Melvin stepped down as Brewers’ GM in 2015 but he remains a key voice in the club’s front office.
Happy Birthday to Willie Horton!
Happy 84th Birthday to Willie Horton!
As a Detroit Tiger, Horton was a four-time all-star and a World Series champion who hit 262 home runs in parts of 14 seasons from 1963 to 1976. For his efforts, his No. 23 was retired by the club and there’s a statue of him outside Comerica Park.
As a Canadian baseball fan, you’ve probably forgotten that Horton played 33 games for the last-place Blue Jays in 1978. Horton, himself, probably wishes he could forget his tenure with the Blue Jays. In his late-season stint with the team, he batted just .205 with three home runs in his 16th major league season.
Happy Birthday to Ben Onyshko!
Happy 30th Birthday to left-hander Ben Onyshko!
Selected in the 24th round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners, the Winnipeg, Man., native posted a 4.75 ERA in 161 appearances (five starts) in parts of six seasons in the M’s organization. In 2025, he returned home to pitch for independent American Association’s Winnipeg Goldeyes, where he had a 3.51 ERA and struck out 29 batters in 33 1/3 innings in 34 relief appearances.
The 6-foot-1 southpaw was originally chosen by the Brewers in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB draft but he declined to sign and instead headed to Stetson University where he toed the rubber for four seasons, registering 165 strikeouts in 139 2/3 innings. As a collegian, Onyshko was twice named to the ASUN Academic Honor Roll.
Prior to his college career, Onyshko honed his skills with the Junior National Team and at the Vauxhall Academy. He also pitched for Team Manitoba in the 2013 Canada Games, going 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 13 2/3 innings. During that tournament, he tossed a no-hitter against Nova Scotia.
Onyshko has also toed the rubber for Canada’s senior national team on multiple occasions, including at the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics.
Former Winnipeg Goldeye Long dies
Former Winnipeg Goldeyes slugger Jeoff Long died in Elsmere, Ky., on September 25 at the age of 84.
Originally signed as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959, Long was converted into a first baseman in 1960.
He spent his first six professional seasons in the Cards’ minor league ranks. He enjoyed his greatest success north of the border, with the Class-C Goldeyes in 1961 when he put together a .299/.463/.571 slash line and a 1.034 OPS. He also had 14 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Two years later, he made his big league debut with the Cardinals. After going 1-for-5 in five MLB games in 1963, he returned the following year and hit .233 with a home run in 28 games for the Cards prior to being sold to the White Sox on July 7. He went 5-for-35 in 23 games with the White Sox to conclude the season.
Hampered by knee injuries, he initially retired from baseball in 1965 but he returned to play two more seasons in Cards’ organization in 1968 and 1969.
On top of his baseball prowess, Long was also an exceptional golfer. In 1975, he won the first National Open Long Driving Contest with a drive that travelled 322 yards and 28 inches.
Vancouver Canadians honoured by MiLB.com
The Vancouver Canadians have been named winner of the 2026 MiLB Organization of the Year Award for the High-A classification.
A Toronto Blue Jays’ affiliate, the Canadians won the Northwest League championship for the second time in four seasons. They also topped the league in attendance with an average of 4,324 fans per game.
In 2026, the Canadians celebrated the 75th birthday of Nat Bailey Stadium, while also successfully completing renovations on the facility.