Glew - BWDIK: Cienfuegos, Doucet, Green, Miracle on Grass, Robson, Stern

Adam Stern (London, Ont.) was the hero for Canada at the WBC 20 years ago today. Just read this card back.

March 8, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

20th anniversary of Canada’s Miracle on Grass at WBC

It was 20 years ago today that an underdog Canadian team led by Adam Stern (London, Ont.) defeated a powerhouse U.S. squad that included Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez 8-6 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., in the first World Baseball Classic.

Stern almost single-handedly propelled Canada to the victory. He went 3-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run, a triple, a single and four RBIs. In centre field, after making a diving grab earlier in the game, he made another outstanding running catch against the wall on a deep fly ball hit by Chase Utley with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Along with Stern, Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) and Aaron Guiel (Vancouver, B.C.) hit triples off U.S. starter Dontrelle Willis, while Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.) contributed three hits, including two doubles. Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.) added two hits and Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) had a two-run single.

On the mound, left-hander Adam Loewen (Surrey, B.C.), then just 21 years old and having never pitched above class-A, started for Canada and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, B.C.) pitched a scoreless eighth to record a hold before right-hander Steve Green (Greenfield Park, Que.) got the final three outs to record the save.

In 2024, Green donated the jersey he wore in that contest to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. (See photo below).

Steve Green (Greenfield Park, Que.), who recorded the save in Canada’s 8-6 win over the U.S. at the 2006 WBC, is shown here donating his jersey from that game to Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations in 2024. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Twenty years later, the “Miracle on Grass” remains Canada’s greatest victory at the World Baseball Classic.

Whitt and Thomson meet up in Clearwater

While watching Canada defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 in a WBC exhibition game on Wednesday, it dawned on me that this might be just the second time two Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees have managed against each other in a major league game.

Ernie Whitt was managing Canada, while Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) was the Phillies’ bench boss. The two of them met up before the game (See photo below).

Two Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Rob Thomson and Ernie Whitt. Photo: Baseball Canada

The only other time I can think of two Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees managing against each other in a major league game are the interleague games played between the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 when Felipe Alou was the Expos’ skipper and Cito Gaston was the Blue Jays’ bench boss.

Robson continues to impress

I’m clearly not an MLB scout, but I watch a lot of baseball.

And every time I watch Canadian outfielder Jacob Robson (Windsor, Ont.) play, he does something that blows my mind and makes me wonder how he is not in an MLB organization.

He did it again this past week.

In Canada’s 10-7 WBC exhibition game loss to the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin on Tuesday, the left-handed hitting Robson homered down the left-field line against Blue Jays pitching prospect Gage Stanifer in the eighth inning.

The next day against the Phillies, he knocked in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle in the sixth inning in Canada’s 5-3 win.

There’s just something about putting on the Canada uniform that brings out the best in Robson. In the 2023 WBC, he went 5-for-12, good for a .417 batting average. He also had two stolen bases.

The 31-year-old Robson signed with the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks in January after spending last season with the American Association’s Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Selected in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers, Robson played parts of six seasons in the Tigers’ organization, including four games in the majors in 2021.

Canada to take on Panama tonight

When Canada battles Panama in the WBC starting at 7 p.m. E.T. tonight, they could face a pitcher born in Canada.

Left-hander Miguel Cienfuegos was born in Laval, Que., but his parents are from Panama.

The 29-year-old southpaw, who hurled a scoreless inning in relief for Panama in their 3-1 loss to Cuba on Friday, pitched in triple-A in the San Diego Padres’ organization last season.

It was his third campaign in the Padres’ system. He was signed after his dominant season with the Frontier League’s Quebec Capitales in 2022, which earned him the Canadian Baseball Network’s Claude Pelletier Award, as the top Canadian pitcher in the independent or foreign ranks.

Fun 2026 Canada WBC Facts

-With his three scoreless innings in relief on Saturday, right-hander Noah Skirrow (Cambridge, Ont.) has now thrown eight scoreless innings at the WBC — all of them against Colombia. He started and hurled five scoreless innings in Canada’s 5-0 victory over Colombia at the 2023 WBC.

-Also, Skirrow’s eight innings pitched at the WBC, leaves him just 2/3 of an inning behind left-hander Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) for most total innings pitched for Canada at the WBC.

-Burlington, Ont., native Owen Caissie‘s two-run home run in the second inning against Colombia on Saturday was his second at the WBC. He clubbed his first against Great Britain in the 2023 WBC. The only other Canadian to hit more than one home run at the WBC over the years is Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.) who socked two home runs at the 2023 tournament.

-With his two RBIs against Colombia on Saturday, Caissie now has six total RBIs at the WBC. This moves him into a tie for second all-time among Canadians with Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) and Morneau. He’s just one behind Michael Saunders (Victoria, B.C.) for the all-time lead.

-As I’ve mentioned in this blog, Canada’s Ernie Whitt is the only field manager to have managed at all six World Baseball Classics. Baseball Canada shared some other notable Whitt stats in their game notes on Saturday. For example, the 2026 WBC represents the 22nd time Whitt has managed Canada in an international tournament. In those competitions, Whitt has guided Canada to a 78-42 record.

-With his single in the third inning on Saturday, Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) now has 10 hits at the WBC. Morneau is the only other Canadian player to reach double digits in hits at the WBC. He accumulated 15 at the event.

Two more Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers in one photo

Prior to Canada’s exhibition game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., on Tuesday, former Blue Jays catcher and 2024 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.), who’s a coach for Canada, bumped into legendary Blue Jays outfielder and 2026 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Devon White. Their meeting was captured in a photo by the Blue Jays (below).

Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) hugs Devon White in Dunedin on Tuesday. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays

Happy Birthday to Jacques Doucet!

Happy 86th Birthday to legendary Montreal Expos broadcaster and 2022 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jacques Doucet!

Doucet served as a Montreal Expos beat reporter for La Presse from the time the franchise was awarded to the city in 1968 to 1971. He began performing play-by-play for the Expos’ French language radio broadcasts in 1972 and continued for 33 seasons. Along the way, he called virtually every meaningful game in the franchise’s history, including Dennis Martinez’s perfect game on July 28, 1991. For many years, Doucet also broadcast major league playoff and World Series games in French.

In total, Doucet called more than 5,500 big league games during his storied career. For his efforts, he was inducted into the Quebec Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Montreal Expos Hall of Fame in 2003. The following year, he won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Jack Graney Award, which is handed out annually by the Hall of Fame to a member of the media who has made significant contributions to baseball in Canada through their life’s work.

Hazel Mae to be honoured with Canadian Screen Award

Congratulations to Sportsnet’s Blue Jays on-field reporter Hazel Mae who has been named the Gordon Sinclair Award winner for Broadcast Journalism by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television as part of their 2026 Canadian Screen Awards.

This marks her second major award in four months. On December 3, she was named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Jack Graney Award.

“A member of the Sportsnet’s on-air talent team since 2001, Hazel Mae has brought extensive television experience and knowledge to the network’s MLB coverage,” reads the Canadian Screen Awards release. “Currently a member of the Toronto Blue Jays TV broadcast crew as on-field reporter, Mae brings the sights, sounds and entertaining player interviews alive for viewers. In addition to her work in-game, Mae serves as guest co-host on the pre- and post-game show, Blue Jays Central, throughout the season, and regularly contributes to Sportsnet Central, the network’s daily news program.”

Remembering Rheal Cormier

It was five years ago today that Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rheal Cormier (Cap-Pele, N.B.) passed away after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 53.

A longtime big league pitcher, Cormier was selected in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. The crafty lefty would make 683 appearances (second-most by a Canadian pitcher) in a 16-season major league career that included stops with the Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Expos, Phillies and Cincinnati Reds.

His best season was 2003 with the Phillies when he finished with an 8-0 win-loss record and a 1.70 ERA in 65 relief appearances. Cormier also toed the rubber for Canada in multiple international competitions, including at the 1988 and 2008 Olympics and in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

For his efforts, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

March 8th Birthdays

1940 – Jacques Doucet, Montreal Expos broadcaster, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

1976 – Ryan Freel, former Blue Jays player (died in 2012).