It was a bad year for Major League Baseball, but 1981 was a great year for baseball in British Columbia.

In a year in which a players’ strike wiped out nearly two months of the big league schedule, three future major leaguers were born in Canada’s westernmost province.

First, Colorado Rockies ace Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) was born on January 8. Just over four months later, Minnesota Twins slugger Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.) was introduced to the world. And finally, on November 30, dominant Oakland A’s right-hander Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.) was born.

This trio competed against each other in the B.C. Premier Baseball League. Harden was a member of the Victoria Mariners, while Francis and Morneau starred for the North Delta Blue Jays. They also competed together on a provincial all-star squad that competed in a tournament in Manitoba in 1999.

And with Harden’s election to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, they will be teammates again.