Glew - BWDIK: Bay, Clapp, Halladay, Lopez, Quantrill, Smith, Upshaw, Young
Okanagan Athletics grad and Baseball Canada alum Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.) will be sidelined the rest of the major league season after suffering a concussion in the New York Mets’ 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday
September 20, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Wishing Young the best in his recovery
New York Mets first baseman and Baseball Canada alum Jared Young (Prince George, B.C.) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday after suffering a frightening concussion in Thursday’s contest against the Philadelphia Phillies.
With one out in the sixth inning, Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford hit a slow roller to first base. There was some confusion between Young and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean about who was going to field the ball. As Young knelt down to field it, McLean sprinted towards first and his knee hit Young directly in the head and knocked him unconscious.
Young did regain consciousness on the field and was able to move his arms and legs before being carted off on a stretcher. He was released from hospital on Friday, but he’ll miss the rest of the season.
“There is some short-term memory loss from how hard he got hit, kind of remembering what happened on the field,” Mets interim manager Andy Green told reporters prior to Friday’s game against the Phillies. “And he’s got a pretty bad headache, which would be anticipated as well. More tests over the next few days to really understand all that he is dealing with. But everything we have heard has been really optimistic from a recovery standpoint and getting-back-on-the-field-eventually standpoint.”
In 103 games with the Mets this season, Young batted .266 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
Quantrill exits start against Blue Jays early
Texas Rangers right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) started against the Toronto Blue Jays last night but was forced to leave the game after recording just one out in the second inning due to right lat tightness.
Quantrill had left his previous start after six innings with back tightness.
The veteran righty’s injury is a big blow to the Rangers. Over the past six weeks, Quantrill has been one of the club’s top starting pitchers. In his last seven starts, he is 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA and has 32 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.
Overall, it has been an outstanding comeback season for the Ontario Terriers and Junior National Team grad. He owns a 9-5 record and a 2.86 in 32 appearances (15 starts) for the Rangers.
Lopez leads MLB in hits
Heading into the final week of the MLB season, Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez is leading the majors with 185 hits. That gives him three more than Philadelphia Phillies infielder Luis Arraez.
Lopez’s .307 batting average ranks second in the National League and he is third in the NL with nine triples. His 6.0 bWAR (Baseball Reference WAR) is also third among NL position players.
Lopez, who spent part of his youth in Montreal and has played for Canada at the last two World Baseball Classics, has set several career-highs in his second full big league season.
Bo Naylor hits first homer as a Brewer
Catcher Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) clubbed his first home run as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. It was a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Luke Weaver in the top of the eighth inning in the Brewers’ 7-4 loss at PNC Park.
Naylor also had an RBI ground out in the sixth inning in the contest.
The 26-year-old backstop has gone 2-for-7 in three games with the Brewers since being called up on September 1.
The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum had been toiling with the triple-A Nashville Sounds after being acquired by the Brewers from the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 1. In 14 games with the Sounds, Naylor put together a .283/.353/.550 slash line and had four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Happy Birthday to Jason Bay!
Happy 48th Birthday to Jason Bay!
Born in Trail, B.C., Bay played for his hometown squad in the 1990 Little League World Series. After being selected in the 22nd round of the 2000 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos, he was dealt to the Mets and then to the San Diego Padres in just over a four-month span in 2002.
After making his big league debut with the Padres in 2003, the right-handed hitting outfielder was traded to the Pirates, and it was in Steeltown that he’d become a star. He assumed starting left field duties for the club on May 7, 2004 and never looked back, hitting .282 and belting 26 home runs in 120 games that season to become the first – and still only – Canadian to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.
Bay continued to excel for the Pirates over the next four seasons, registering back-to-back 30-home run, 100-RBI campaigns in 2005 and 2006 and earning All-Star honours in each of those years. He was dealt to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in 2008 and the next season he clubbed a career-best 36 home runs and registered 119 RBIs.
Following that season, he signed a four-year deal with the Mets and he finished his 11-year major league career with the Seattle Mariners in 2013. Bay ranks in the top 10 in most of the all-time offensive statistical categories among Canadian major leaguers, including fifth in home runs (222) and sixth in slugging percentage (.481).
He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Tong sharp in latest start for Mets
On Monday, New York Mets right-hander Jonah Tong (Markham, Ont.) started and allowed an unearned run on four hits in six innings against the Baltimore Orioles. He also fanned six batters but got a no-decision when the Mets lost 2-1.
It was his second start since being recalled by the Mets on September 7. He is scheduled to start today against the Phillies.
In August, the 22-year-old right-hander was outstanding with the triple-A Syracuse Mets, posting a 2.39 ERA in five starts. He had 26 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .170 batting average. In total, the Toronto Mets alum went 5-6 with a 4.54 ERA in 23 triple-A starts this season.
Tong also made three starts for the big league Mets earlier this season, between May 22 and June 22.
He made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2025, posting a 7.71 ERA in five starts.
Clapp inducted into Memphis Sports Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) who was inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Wednesday night.
Most Canadians revere Clapp for his heroics with the national team, but Clapp enjoyed his greatest professional success with the St. Louis Cardinals’ triple-A Memphis Redbirds as a player and later as a manager.
He spent four minor league seasons (1999 to 2002) with the Redbirds where he became one of the team’s most productive and popular players. Often doing a back flip when taking the field, he became known as the “Mayor of Memphis” and his No. 10 was retired by the club in 2007.
Following his playing career, Clapp entered the pro coaching ranks, eventually returning to Memphis to manage the Redbirds to Pacific Coast League championships in 2017 and 2018. For his efforts, he was named PCL manager of the year in both campaigns. That performance earned him a promotion to the position of first base coach with the Cardinals in 2019, a post he continues to hold.
“What an incredible honour to be inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame! I’m truly humbled and grateful for this recognition and for the many friendships, memories, and opportunities Memphis has given me,” wrote Clapp on his Facebook page. “A huge thank you to the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame, my family, friends, teammates, coaches and everyone who supported me along the way. I’m so thankful for each of you. Memphis will always hold a special place in my heart.”
It was the second Hall of Fame Clapp has been inducted into in 2026. In June, he was honoured by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont..
Anniversary of Halladay’s MLB debut
On this date 28 years ago, Roy Halladay made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The then 21-year-old right-hander started and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits, while striking out five, in five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
One great piece of Canadian baseball trivia from this game is that Toronto native Rich Butler became the first major leaguer to hit a home run off Halladay (in a regular season game) when he belted a two-run shot in the fourth inning.
It also seems fitting that Dave Stieb, a fellow Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer and member of the Blue Jays’ Hall of Excellence, took over for Halladay in the sixth inning and allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings. This was the only MLB game in which Halladay and Stieb both pitched for the Blue Jays.
Left-hander Steve Sinclair (Victoria, B.C.) also toed the rubber for the Blue Jays and got two outs for them in the 11th.
The Blue Jays eventually won 7-5 in 12 innings.
Sabrowski, Smith excelling out of Guardians’ pen
If the Guardians secure the American League Central title or an AL Wild Card spot, it will be in large part due to the work of Canadians Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) and Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) at the back end of their bullpen.
In his last 15 appearances, Sabrowski is 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA. He has permitted just three hits and has fanned 17 batters in 13 2/3 innings. That stretch has lowered his season ERA to 2.78.
Meanwhile, Smith is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has 14 strikeouts in nine innings in his past seven games. He has 38 saves this season. With seven games left, he needs two more saves to become the first Canadian to collect 40 saves in a major league season since John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) had 46 for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.
Upshaw became Jays’ first 100-RBI player 43 years ago
Forty-three years ago today, Willie Upshaw doubled home Lloyd Moseby in the bottom of the first inning of the Blue Jays’ 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners at Exhibition Stadium to record his 100th RBI of the 1983 season. This made him the first player in franchise history to reach that mark.
Upshaw finished the season with 104 RBIs.
Caissie lands on IL
On September 13, Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lumber stress reaction. This injury has ended his 2026 season.
It’s Caissie’s second trip to the IL this season. He missed three weeks in July with a right calf strain.
Overall, Caissie enjoyed a productive campaign, finishing with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs in 108 games with the Marlins.
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.
Pivetta sharp since return from IL
Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) surrendered just one run on four hits in five innings to pick up the win in his team’s 8-2 victory over the Marlins on Friday.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts since being activated from 60-day injured list on September 7. He had been sidelined with right elbow inflammation.
As Canadian baseball historian Tyler Partridge noted on X on Saturday, the win was the 72nd of Pivetta’s major league career which ties him with left-hander Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) for eighth most by a Canadian.
The Padres have all but sewn up a Wild Card spot in the National League, so it will be interesting to see if Pivetta pitches in the final week of the season or if they will save him for the postseason.
In total, in seven starts this season, Pivetta is 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA.
Zastryzny designated for assignment by Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers designated left-hander Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.) for assignment on Thursday.
The move came after he completed his rehab assignment with the triple-A Nashville Sounds. He has not pitched for the Brewers this season due to a shoulder strain that he first suffered while pitching for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
The Brewers, who have the best record in MLB, currently have three left-handers – Aaron Ashby, DL Hall and JoJo Romero – in their bullpen, so they didn’t have room for Zastryzny.
In 26 appearances with the Brewers last season, Zastryzny went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA and struck out 20 batters in 22 innings.
The 34-year-old southpaw has pitched in parts of seven major league seasons with the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Pirates and Brewers. He earned a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016.