50 years ago today, baseball entered its free agency era when arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled on a landmark MLB Players Association case challenging the reserve clause on Dec. 23, 1975. From the SABR archives: sabr.org/journal/arti...

1990-12-23: An era ends: After 12 seasons with the Expos, Montreal deals 7x All-Star Tim Raines to Chicago (AL). While Ivan Calderon was an All-Star his 1st season in Montreal, he & the 4 others in the trade tree only provided 7.0 bWAR to Montreal. Raines yielded 20.3 bWAR, from 1991 to 2002.

A great article which includes a link to the SABR bio of 3x IBL MVP Wilmer Fields who played across Canada, the U.S. & Latin America. Fields played for Brantford, Toronto & in the Man-Dak league. He helped secure $1-million in pension funds for 27 Negro League players. sabr.org/bioproj/pers...

1991-12-19: Toronto signs Dave Winfield to a 1-year $2.3-million contract. In 1992, Winfield became the 1st 40-year old in AL history to drive in 100+ runs, finishing 5th in MVP voting. He hit the World Series winning double against Atlanta in the 11th inning of Game 6. sabr.org/journal/arti...

1947-12-15: Ken Crosby, b. New Denver, BC. From a tiny mining town to BYU to the major leagues, Crosby pitched 2 seasons with the Cubs. He was on the mound in Dodger Stadium when Rick Monday "saved" the American flag. Another SABR bio from @tomhawthorn.bsky.social: sabr.org/bioproj/pers...

1885-12-15: Jay Clarke, b. Amherstburg, ON. Member, Wyandot First Nation. 1490 games in professional baseball including 9 MLB seasons as catcher. Caught Addie Joss' perfect game in 1908. Hit EIGHT (8)! HR in one Texas League game in 1902. USMC Corporal, WWI. @cdnbaseballhof.bsky.social 1996... 1/2

The SABR biography written by @tomhawthorn.bsky.social has interesting and thorough research on both the career of Claxton as well as his family history. sabr.org/bioproj/pers...

These two are now teammates I love baseball

If you rotate him 90 degrees clockwise, you begin to appreciate the deadliness of his extreme release point.

He played almost all of his career in the National League, but it all began professionally for the newest Hall of Famer in St. Catharine's, Ontario and in the major leagues with Toronto. Here's Jeff Kent's SABR biography: sabr.org/bioproj/pers...

A tip of the hat to Josh Naylor. Seattle acquired the Mississauga native before the trade deadline from Arizona, and he promptly stole 19 bases in only 54 games while adding 9 home runs. Against Toronto in the seven-game ALCS, he topped all Mariners in hits (10), BA/OBP/SLG (.417/.481/.492)

Congratulations to Hazel Mae. Among her many responsibilities, she also was emcee of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame 2025 induction ceremony in St. Mary's in early June.

Our SABR Chapter is supporting an effort to establish a Heritage Toronto plaque to recognize Diamond Park. The ballpark was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team from 1901-9. On Giving Tuesday, please consider contributing to this project! www.justgiving.com/campaign/dia...

The special guest at our next meeting will be none other than John Gibbons, so it’s worth a membership for that alone! 🙏💙

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame holiday auction continues through December 8 with baseball, hockey and non-sports items & experiences. You can even bid on a 1-year SABR membership for you or the baseball fan in your life! www.32auctions.com/organization...

P.S. One of the items up for bid in the @cdnbaseballhof.bsky.social auction is a 1-year SABR membership. If you or someone on your Christmas gift list has ever wanted to join a community of fans with an interest in any aspect of baseball, this might be for you! www.32auctions.com/organization...

Bidding is open now and for the next 3 weeks! Signed jerseys, bats, baseballs, tickets to baseball and hockey games, dine with Rob Thomson, Blair & Barker, watch batting practice on the Rogers Centre field! All proceeds to the @cdnbaseballhof.bsky.social www.32auctions.com/organization...

Any debates about who the best overall player in baseball are utter obsolescence as of tonight. FOUR unanimous MVPs. Stop what you're doing and look at the facts @slangsonsports.bsky.social is disclosing about Ohtani. He is Gretzkyizing the record books. Only thing left is to win a Cy Young Award.

Some final photos from our SABR Hanlan's Point Chapter event this past Sunday at Duke of York with journalist and baseball fan Steve Paikin. Under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth II, our leader Allen Tait & a trio of Red Sox fans: Paikin, our communications coordinator Barry Naymark, and his son

On Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States, we remember the sacrifice and courage of those who served in the armed forces. Our SABR Hanlan's Point Chapter member Stephen Dame wrote about Canadian baseball and World War I: sabr.org/journal/arti...

A great turnout for our SABR Hanlan's Point Chapter autumn meeting at Duke of York in Toronto, with special guest Steve Paikin. We had an engaging conversation about the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and stadiums. Honouring baseball history while looking ahead to the future.

In 1918, one year before the Black Sox Scandal, the notorious Hal Chase was 1) betting on his own games, 2) bribing teammates, 3) bribing opponents. Soon Chase & other players were called on the carpet by the N.L. office. Tucupita Marcano went down last year. Are Clase, Ortiz ... and others next?

So this implies there's self-authenticating evidence like phone logs and text messages to/from the 2 players and the bettors. Not only are Clase and Ortiz depraved, but also massive idiots. This is on the level of the Tonya Harding hitman putting everything on his credit card. Big trail of evidence.

I was there! Good group of baseball knowers and lovers.

Despite a medium-sized snowfall, 25+ SABR Hanlan's Point Chapter members & friends made it to Duke of York in Toronto for our autumn event with journalist Steve Paikin (wearing dark blue Red Sox shirt), to discuss all things baseball!

Richard Monfort thinking he pulled a fast one on the other 29 clubs.

Can't wait for the annual winter tradition of agencies planting seeds with media about how all the premier free agents are in talks with Toronto to ultimately goose the price for the actual team that signs them.

The current @ontariohistory.bsky.social bulletin reviews the June Beachville baseball event commemorating the historic 1838 game, one of the earliest recorded baseball games in North America. Our SABR Chapter & Beachville District Museum contributed! ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/ohs-bulletin/

The World Series was thrilling ... but disappointing for fans in Southern Ontario. However, baseball talk continues through the offseason. Last call for this Sunday's SABR Hanlan's Point Chapter event with award-winning Canadian journalist Steve Paikin! Contact us for registration details.

The concept of Golden pitches is awesome in its meaningfulness, simplicity and rarity. Seven last night from the World Series MVP! The umpires should give the pitcher a golden baseball to pitch at the appropriate time. Thank you to Toledo Metro Golden Mayor Kapszukiewicz

Of the 121 World Series played, 27 teams lost then made it back immediately in the following season's World Series. Only 15 of those teams redeemed themselves with a championship. A lot of Jays were openly in tears last night, knowing how fleeting one's chances are at winning it all.

Everyone was thinking it but no one wanted to say it: When Yamamoto hit Kirk in the 9th, we were all hoping Kirk would give him the Razor's Edge. Or a Perfect Plex. And Gimenez & Wroblewski standing at the foul lines waiting to be tagged in.

😭

Golden pitches!!!!

Winner-take-all World Series games to go extras: 2025 2016, 10 innings 1997, 11 1991, 10 1924, 12 1912 g8, 10

For anyone watching tonight, just enjoy this last baseball game of 2025. Game 7. World Series. 5 guaranteed future Hall of Famers on the field + other multiple-time All-Stars. Maybe someone unheralded will have his "Mazeroski moment". And finally, the piece of metal will be presented!

I'm trying to envision a 1912 Golden Pitch scenario tonight. Vlad hits a foul pop-up in the 10th between Roki Sasaki, Will Smith & Freddie Freeman. Vlad shouts at Sasaki, gives him the Speaker "you pointed at the wrong man!" quote as Hector Lebron & Will Ireton try to defuse the situation...

Re: Golden Pitches in winner-take-all games: Tris Speaker was an *interesting* guy. How about the gamesmanship here in 1912 Game 8, extra innings, trolling fellow future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson after a dropped foul pop-up?

Will we see "Golden Pitches" tonight in Game 7? This refers to a pitch where the potential outcome results in a World Series winning play for EITHER team! It has only occurred 8 times, most recently in 2016 at Cleveland. Read about it in the SABR Baseball Research Journal! sabr.org/journal/arti...

Game 7 is essentially a coin flip, right Max?

GAME EIGHT!!!!

Could this be the last night for Rockin’ Rick? He’s been jamming out and hyping up Jays fans since 1989 and is hanging up his drum sticks this year. He was here in ‘92 and ‘93 — another World Series tonight? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Big news from SABR: For the first time ever, complete Negro Leagues player and team statistics are now available for download in the Lahman Baseball Database. sabr.org/latest/negro... @seanlahman.bsky.social

Trey games to two lead. Heading home.

Only 4 pitchers have recorded a Pitcher’s Cycle — striking out every batter in the opposing lineup — in the World Series: Trey Yesavage, 2025 G5 Randy Johnson, 2001 G2 Bob Gibson, 1968 G1 Jesse Barnes, 1921 G6

The city of Toronto will be in an absolute uproar Friday night.

We've reached pure-comedy levels now with Toronto seemingly a Team of Destiny. This was almost the exact same location of the first pitch Seranthony Dominguez threw to Shohei Ohtani on Monday that precipitated the 18 innings of mayhem. But tonight, Ohtani hits it into the ground.

Trey Yesavage. The most famous Trey to hit Hollywood since Trey Parker