BWDIK: Naylor, O'Neill, Ostrosser, Peters, Rios, Soroka, Zastryzny
Okotoks Dawgs alum Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Photo: Tampa Bay Rays
August 10, 2025
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:
Naylor continues to set Mariners’ stolen base records
On Tuesday, Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) belted a home run and had two stolen bases to help the Seattle Mariners to an 8-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. That was his second two-stolen base game with the M’s since being acquired on July 24. He also swiped two bases in the Mariners’ 4-1 loss to the Angels on July 27.
Those first two multi-stolen base games inspired this tweet from the Mariners PR team:
For an encore, Naylor clubbed another homer and swiped two more bases in the M’s 8-6 win over the White Sox on Wednesday. That performance inspired this flurry of tweets from the Mariners’ PR team:
If you’re counting, Naylor now has 22 stolen bases this season, which dwarfs his previous career-high of 10 accumulated with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023.
After the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum missed Friday’s game with shoulder discomfort, he returned to hit two doubles and steal another base on Saturday in the M’s 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Peters makes major league debut
Outfielder Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) made his major league debut with the Rays on Friday.
Batting fifth and playing centre field, he went 0-for-3 in the Rays’ 3-2 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. His parents, grandparents, one of his brothers and a large group of friends and former teammates made the trek to Seattle to see his debut.
Peters became the fifth player from Manitoba to play in the big leagues. The others are Russ Ford (Brandon, Man.), Mel Kerr (Sturgis, Man.), Harry Sketchley (Virden, Man.) and Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.).
According to Baseball Canada, Peters is the 21st Canadian to play in the majors this season.
An Okotoks Dawgs alum, Peters, 25, put together a slash line of .282/.370/.453 in 105 games for the triple-A Durham Bulls this season prior to his call-up. He had 11 home runs, 11 stolen bases and 50 walks with 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.
Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) exited his first start with the Chicago Cubs after two innings with shoulder soreness. Photo: Chicago Cubs
Soroka injured in first start with Cubs
On Monday, right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) was removed from his first start with the Chicago Cubs after the second inning after experiencing right shoulder discomfort.
The Canadian right-hander, who had just been acquired from the Washington Nationals, was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a right shoulder strain. Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Soroka has a “low-to-mid-grade” strain and that the 27-year-old Canadian would be shut down for seven to 10 days before being re-evaluated.
Soroka’s 17 starts this season represent his most since 2019. Earlier in the campaign, he missed six weeks after suffering a right biceps injury in a start against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 31.
The Junior National Team alum signed with the Nationals after spending 2024 with the Chicago White Sox.
A graduate of the Calgary Redbirds, Soroka was a first-round pick (28th overall) of the Atlanta Braves in 2015. In 2019, he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts. Between 2020 and 2023, however, his career was curtailed by a series of injuries, most notably he tore his right Achilles tendon twice.
Former New York Mets infielder Brian Ostrosser (Hamilton, Ont.) visited the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont., on Tuesday. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Ostrosser visits Canadian ball hall
Former New York Mets shortstop and Hamilton, Ont., native Brian Ostrosser visited the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. He travelled to the St. Marys, Ont.-based shrine on the 52nd anniversary of his MLB debut.
In 1973, Ostrosser played four games and had five at bats for the Mets. That came after he had suited up for parts of four seasons in the minors. In total, Ostrosser batted .236 with 440 hits in 567 games in six minor league seasons.
Ostrosser also donated some items to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, including:
-His International League championship Governor’s Cup ring that he won with the triple-A Tidewater Tides in 1972.
-A commemorative bat given to him for playing for the National League pennant-winning Mets in 1973.
-An autographed baseball card.
-Ostrosser’s first major league pay cheque. It covered only two days because the rest of the pay period was covered by his minor league contract. The cheque is for $198.24.
*Thank you to Scott Crawford and Lindsay Earle for their help with this report.
O’Neill back on IL
The Baltimore Orioles placed Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) on the 10-day injured list on Friday (retroactive to August 6) with right wrist inflammation. O’Neill sustained the injury when he jammed the wrist while making a play against the outfield wall in the Orioles game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
It has been a challenging first season with the Orioles for O’Neill. He had two previous stretches on the injured list – first with neck inflammation and then with an impingement in his left shoulder.
After returning from his shoulder injury on July 4, he had belted five home runs and driven in 12 in 15 games.
In total, in 43 games in 2025, O’Neill is batting .210 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.
Shipanoff made MLB debut 40 years ago
Right-hander Dave Shipanoff (Edmonton, Alta.) made his major league debut with the Phillies 40 years ago today. He pitched three scoreless innings in relief in the Phils’ 5-4 loss to the Cardinals at Veterans Stadium.
He struck out the first batter he faced (Terry Pendleton).
Shipanoff was signed as an amateur free agent by the Blue Jays on July 19, 1980. He was dealt to the Phillies just prior to the start of the 1985 regular season as part of the package for DH/1B Len Matuszek.
Zastryzny working his way back to Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.), who has been sidelined since July 1 with a rib injury, began a rehab assignment with the triple-A Nashville Sounds on Thursday and pitched a scoreless inning. If all goes as planned, the Canuck southpaw will return to the Brewers in mid-August.
Prior to the injury, Zastryzny had a 2-1 record and a 2.03 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings in 15 appearances for the Brewers this season.
The 33-year-old Zastryzny has pitched in parts of seven major league seasons with the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Pirates and Brewers. For his career, he is 6-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 69 appearances (six starts).
New York Yankees outfielder George Selkirk (Huntsville, Ont.) had an eight-RBI game 90 years ago today. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Selkirk drove in eight 90 years ago
Ninety years ago today, New York Yankees outfielder George Selkirk (Huntsville, Ont.) became the first Canadian to drive in eight runs in a major league game (since 1900) when he did so in the Yankees’ 18-7 win over the Philadelphia A’s.
Selkirk had two home runs – including a grand slam and a three-run shot – and a single in the contest, which was the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
Larry Walker, Jason Bay and Josh Naylor have since had eight-RBI games.
Bradwell hurls nine no-hit innings for Goldeyes
Right-hander James Bradwell (North Vancouver, B.C.) tossed nine no-hit innings in his start for the Winnipeg Goldeyes against the Sioux Falls Canaries on Thursday but it wasn’t enough to earn him a win.
The Canaries scored three runs off Goldeyes’ reliever Ryder Yakel for a 3-1 victory in 11 innings.
It’s a rarity in professional baseball today to see a pitcher throw nine innings, let alone nine no-hit innings. Bradwell, a University of British Columbia grad, threw 111 pitches. He walked five batters and struck out four.
The 26-year-old right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.40 ERA in six starts with the Goldeyes this season.
Rios waived by Blue Jays 16 years ago
Sixteen years ago today, the Blue Jays placed an underperforming Alex Rios, who was still due $60 million on his contract through 2015, on waivers.
The White Sox claimed him and the Blue Jays let him go. The Sox assumed the rest of his contract.
Rios had fallen out of favor with the Blue Jays’ front office who had signed him to a seven-year deal worth almost $70 million in April 2008.
A two-time All-Star, Rios had struggled in 2009, batting .264 with 14 home runs in 108 games.
“Since we did the contract, so many things have changed in the game economically in the last year, little over a year, and this allows us to get out from under a contract and enables us to do more to address our club going forward,” Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told reporters at the time.
Clement wins Blue Jays’ Heart and Hustle Award
Infielder Ernie Clement has been voted the Blue Jays’ winner of the Major League Baseball Players Association Alumni’s Heart and Hustle Award.
This honour is handed out each year to active players who “exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”
Blue Jays alumni voted for this award.
One Heart and Hustle Award winner is chosen for each big league team. At the end of the season, MLB alumni and fans will vote for an overall winner from all of the team recipients.
The gritty Clement has been one of the most popular, versatile and productive Blue Jays this season. He has played every infield position except pitcher and catcher. In 116 games, he is batting .289 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. His 2.8 WAR is the second highest on the Blue Jays to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Fun Fact of the Week
In the Blue Jays’ 20-1 destruction of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, they had three players who had four hits and four runs – Clement, Guerrero Jr. and Ty France. This was the first time in franchise history that this has happened in the same game, according to the great Len Lumbers, of the Today in Dave Stieb History X feed. Here’s the chart from Baseball Reference that Len created and shared:
