Glew - BWDIK: Clarke, Jenkins, Peters, Richmond, Romano, Smith, Stairs, Wells
Fifty-five years ago today, Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) became the first Canadian baseball player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
August 30, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Canadian Baseball Network
Some Canadian baseball news and notes:
Romano moves into third on all-time Canadian MLB saves list
Colorado Rockies closer Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his club’s 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday to record his 13th save of the season.
It was also the 126th of his MLB career which moved him past longtime Detroit Tigers left-hander John Hiller (Toronto, Ont.) into sole possession of third place on the all-time Canadian MLB saves list. He now trails only Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que.) who had 189 saves and John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) who amassed 144.
Romano has been outstanding with the Rockies since being promoted by them on July 4. In 17 appearances, he has registered nine saves in 10 opportunities and owns a 2.25 ERA.
Prior to landing with the Rockies, he had four saves with the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the season.
The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team grad is in his eighth major league season.
Peters homers in five straight games
Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) homered in five straight games for the Chicago White Sox, from Aug. 22 to Aug. 26.
Per Scott Crawford, at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) holds the record for the most consecutive MLB games in which a Canadian has homered. Votto went deep in seven straight games in 2021.
Baseball statistician Neil Munro provided me with a document that listed all of the MLB consecutive game home run streaks by Canadians. In it, I learned that Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.) homered in six consecutive games in 2006, while Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) and Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) homered in five straight games in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
Munro also shared that Walker had three streaks in which he homered in four consecutive games. George Selkirk (Huntsville, Ont.) and Jeff Heath (Fort William, Ont.) also had two such streaks.
Peters now has 12 home runs in his rookie season, which ranks second among Canuck big leaguers this year. Tampa Bay Rays catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) has 17.
Jenkins on cover of Sports Illustrated 55 years ago
Fifty-five years ago today, Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) became the first Canadian baseball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated was once a prestigious honour in the sports world, reserved for only the best athletes.
Since Jenkins was on the SI cover, only three other Canadian baseball players have been similarly featured: Larry Walker (June 11, 2001 issue), Jeff Francis (Oct. 15, 2007 issue) and Joey Votto (Aug. 20, 2010 issue).
It should be noted that White Sox third baseman Pete Ward almost became the first Canadian to be the cover of SI for their June 7, 1965 issue. The cover story was to have been on the White Sox who had moved into first place in the American League. Unfortunately for Ward, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round in a fight just before the magazine went to press and the SI photographer sent photos back to the editor just in time to bump Ward off the cover. There were, however, a few of the Ward covers printed. One of them ended up on Ward’s office wall. A few have also surfaced for sale. “You know, Ali was on something like 40 covers. It would’ve been nice if he let me be on just one,” joked Ward in a 2000 interview with Sports Illustrated.
Smith collects 35th save of season
Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) earned two more saves this week to bring his season total to 35.
He pitched the final inning in the Guardians’ 4-2 and 8-6 victories over the Angels on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
With a month left in the season, Smith is on pace to become the first Canadian to record 40 saves in a season since John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) did it with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.
In total, the 27-year-old Smith is 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 57 appearances this season. He has 84 strikeouts in 60 innings and has made himself one of the early favourites to win the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award, as top Canadian player.
Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations (left) and Lindsay Earle, the Canadian ball hall’s care of collections and public engagement supervisor presented Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) with the 2025 Tip O’Neill Award at Rogers Centre on Friday. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Blue Jays dealt Stairs to Phillies 18 years ago
Eighteen years ago today, the Toronto Blue Jays traded Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) to the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later (Fabio Castro).
The Blue Jays were 68-64 at the time and well out of contention. In 115 games with the Blue Jays that season, Stairs batted .250 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs.
After acquiring him, the Phillies employed him as a pinch-hitter. He hit .294 with two homers in 17 at bats down the stretch before clubbing one of the most memorable pinch-hit home runs in Phillies’ history in the postseason.
In Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series, Stairs walked to the plate to face Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton with two out in the eighth inning. The game was tied 5-5 and there were more than 50,000 fans at Dodger Stadium cheering against him.
Stairs worked the count to 3-1 and then belted a fastball deep into the right field bleachers to catapult the Phillies to a 7-5 lead and a Game 4 victory, and the Dodgers never recovered in the series.
Stairs hasn’t had to buy a beer in Philadelphia since.
Macko called up by Rangers
Left-hander Adam Macko (Stony Plain, Alta.) was called up by the Texas Rangers on Friday and he pitched for his new club on the same day. He was summoned into the game in the seventh inning and allowed two runs on three hits in 1-1/3 innings in the Rangers’ 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
On August 3, Macko was dealt to the Rangers by the Blue Jays for infielder Josh Smith and right-hander Josh Stephan.
The 25-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on May 18. He then proceeded to post a 4.91 ERA in 22 MLB relief appearances for the Jays.
Macko grew up in Stony Plain, Alta. and honed his skills at the Vauxhall Academy prior to being selected in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners. The M’s traded him to the Blue Jays, along with reliever Erik Swanson, for outfielder Teoscar Hernandez on November 16, 2022.
Happy Birthday to Scott Richmond!
Happy 47th Birthday to former big league pitcher Scott Richmond!
After graduating from Aldergrove Community Secondary School in 1997, Richmond (Vancouver, B.C.) accepted a job working the docks at the Port of Vancouver. Arriving before the crack of dawn and working until around 4 p.m. He did this for three years, squeezing in baseball games and practices whenever he could.
The 6-foot-5 hurler’s pitching talents were impressive enough for him to play with three U.S. colleges – Bossier Parish Community College, Missouri Valley College and Oklahoma State University – before he returned to Canada to suit up with the independent Northern League’s Edmonton Cracker-Cats for three seasons starting in 2005. It was while with the Cats that he was scouted by Rob Ducey (Cambridge, Ont.), who then worked for the Blue Jays. Richmond would sign with the Blue Jays on October 20, 2007.
The then-28-year-old Richmond rocketed through the Blue Jays’ system, making just 24 starts between double-A and triple-A prior to being promoted to the big leagues on July 30, 2008.
In all, Richmond would pitch parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays between 2008 and 2012 before taking the mound for two seasons in the Texas Rangers’ organization and for another with the independent American Association’s Wichita Wingnuts in 2015. He also toed the rubber in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2016 and 2017, in Italy in 2018 and in New Zealand in 2019.
Richmond has also pitched on some of Canada’s most successful national teams, including on the gold medal-winning 2011 and 2015 Pan Am Games clubs. He recorded a save in Canada’s 2-1 upset win over the U.S. in the gold medal contest in 2011.
Anniversary of Vernon Wells‘ MLB debut
Twenty-seven years ago today, Vernon Wells made his major league debut for the Blue Jays.
Batting second and playing centre field, the then 20-year-old Wells went 0-for-3 in the Blue Jays’ 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre. Wells recorded his first major league assist in the second inning when Twins infielder Todd Walker lined a single into centre field and then tried to stretch it into a double.
Wells, of course, went on to play parts of 12 big league seasons with the Blue Jays and ranks second in franchise history in hits (1,529), doubles (339), extra-base hits (592) and total bases (2,597).
Black, Naylor candidates for September call-up by Brewers
After a slow start with the triple-A Nashville Sounds this season, Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.) owns a .310/.438/.465 slash line in 21 games this month. He also has two home runs, 11 RBIs, 14 walks and four stolen bases.
This strong stretch, combined with him being on the Brewers’ 40-man roster, makes him a prime candidate for a September call-up by the Brewers. Earlier in the year, Black went 9-for-27 (.333 batting average) in nine games with the Brew Crew.
The 26-year-old Toronto Mets alum also had stints with the Brewers in 2024 and 2025.
Competing with Black for a September call-up will be fellow Canuck Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.). Naylor was called up to be the 27th man on the Brewers’ roster for the Little League Classic last Sunday but he was returned to triple-A after the game.
The Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum has been toiling with the triple-A Sounds since being acquired by the Brewers from the Guardians on Aug. 1. In 14 games with the Sounds, he possesses a .283/.353/.550 slash line and has four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Before landing in the Brewers’ organization, Naylor batted .225 with a .781 OPS with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 45 games with the Guardians’ triple-A Columbus Clippers. He started the season with the Guardians, batting .143 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 28 games before being sent down.
In total, in 346 MLB games, Naylor has 40 home runs and 125 RBIs.
Axford dealt to Cardinals 13 years ago
Thirteen years ago today, the Brewers traded their former closer John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later (Michael Blazek).
The Brewers’ record had fallen to 59-75 in 2013 when they made the deal. Axford had been serving as one of the set-up men for fellow Canadian Jim Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) in the Brewers’ pen. At the time of the deal, the 6-foot-5 right-hander was 6-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 62 games.
He went on to register a 1.74 ERA in 13 appearances down the stretch for the Cardinals.
Clarke looking strong in rehab assignment
Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.) has gone 10-for-27 (.370 batting average) in nine games in his current rehab stint with the triple-A Las Vegas Aviators.
However, the A’s, who have the second-worst record in the American League, are not planning to rush him back to the big leagues. But Clarke is expected to return to the A’s in September. He has been on the injured list since April 22, first with a bone bruise in his right foot and then with a severe left hamstring strain.
Prior to his injury woes, Clarke was 9-for-53 (.170 batting average) with six RBIs in 22 games in his second MLB season.
Happy Birthday to Russ Adams!
Blue Jays’ 2002 first-round pick Russ Adams turns 46 today. Happy Birthday to him!
It seems like yesterday that general manager J.P. Ricciardi was trumpeting Adams (who was Ricciardi’s first pick as Blue Jays’ GM) as a cornerstone of the team’s future.
The young shortstop’s big league career got off to a promising start when he hit .304 with four home runs in 22 games at the end of the 2004 season. The following year, he served largely as the club’s leadoff hitter and batted .258 with a .325 on-base percentage in 139 games. His production dropped off sharply after that and he suited up for his final eight big league games with the club in 2009.