Last Sunday, Miami Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) became the second Canadian to throw an immaculate inning in the big leagues. Photo: Miami Marlins

May 25, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes from the past week:

Quantrill makes Canadian baseball history with immaculate inning

Miami Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) became the second Canadian to toss an immaculate inning (nine pitches, nine strikes, three strikeouts) in the big leagues last Sunday when did so in the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. With Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) catching him, it marked the first time that there has been an all-Canadian battery for an immaculate inning.

The first Canadian to throw an immaculate inning was Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.). He did it with the Oakland A’s in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on June 8, 2008.

On Monday, Quantrill told the MLB Network that he had talked to his dad, Paul, who pitched in 14 major league seasons, about the feat and his dad joked that a three-pitch inning was more impressive.

The younger Quantrill, a Terriers and Junior National Team alum, did get the ball at the end of his immaculate inning.

“It will make it up on the wall at some point this off-season,” Quantrill told the MLB Network.

Most importantly for the Marlins, Quantrill allowed just one run in five innings and picked up his third win of the season in the start.

Sixth anniversary of Quantrill’s first MLB win

Speaking of Cal Quantrill, today represents the sixth anniversary of his first big league win. Making that win even more special was that he recorded it at the Rogers Centre against the Toronto Blue Jays with his family in attendance.

In that start, Quantrill allowed just two hits and struck out nine in six innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 19-4 victory.

Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) also recorded his first three MLB hits in the same game.

Most wins by a Canadian pitcher in MLB this season

5 – Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.)

3 – Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.)

1 – Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.)

*Jameson Taillon, who was born in Woodlands, Texas, but both his parents are Canadian, has three wins for the Chicago Cubs

Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) is the hottest hitting Canadian in the big leagues right now. Photo: Miami Marlins

Hicks hot for Marlins

Who is the hottest hitting Canadian in the big leagues right now?

That would be the aforementioned Liam Hicks.

In his last 15 games with the Marlins, Hicks is batting .302 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. This has improved his overall batting average to .276 and upped his RBI total to 21, which is the second-most on the Marlins.

The Marlins selected Hicks in the Rule 5 draft from the Detroit Tigers in December. The Toronto Mets alum was originally chosen in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.

Clarke makes MLB debut with Athletics

Denzel Clarke (Pickering, Ont.), another Toronto Mets grad, made his major league debut with the Athletics on Friday. Batting ninth and playing centre field, he went 0-for-3 in the A’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

Having lost 11 straight games, the A’s hope Clarke will bolster their lineup offensively and defensively. In 31 games for the triple-A Las Vegas Aviators prior to his call-up, Clarke, 25, batted .286 and posted a .436 on-base percentage. He had eight doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases.

Selected by the A’s in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB draft, Clarke is in his fifth pro season.

Clarke is the second former Toronto Mets player to make their major league debut this season, joining Hicks.

According to Baseball Canada, Clarke is the 17th Canadian to play in the big leagues this season and the 36th alum of the Junior National Team program to reach the majors since 1999.

Toro makes MLB mound debut

Abraham Toro‘s versatility was on display for the Boston Red Sox in their 19-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Friday. Not only did the Longueuil, Que., native enter the game after infielder Alex Bregman exited with right quad tightness in the fifth inning and go 2-for-3 with a double, but he also pitched the ninth inning after the Red Sox had built up a 16-run lead.

In his MLB pitching debut, Toro allowed two runs on four hits, but he saved the Red Sox from using another pitcher out of their bullpen. According to TJ Stats, Toro employed a 45 mph slider and 35 mph curveball to get the final three outs for the Red Sox.

As far as I can tell, this is the first time Toro has pitched during his professional career.

The Red Sox called up Toro from triple-A Worcester on May 3 to replace Triston Casas after the first baseman suffered a season-ending left patellar tendon rupture.

In total, Toro, 28, has played in parts of six previous major league seasons with the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and A’s.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) is on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season. Photo: Baltimore Orioles

O’Neill back on IL

Just nine days after being activated from the 10-day injured list due to neck inflammation, Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was placed back on the 10-day injured with a left shoulder impingement last Sunday.

O’Neill went 1-for-15 in the six-game stretch after he was activated from his first IL term on May 9.

In total, in 24 games this season, O’Neill is batting .188 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

The Langley Blaze and Junior National Team grad signed a three-year, $49.5-million contract with the O’s in December. He belted 31 home runs for the Red Sox last season and played his first six big league campaigns with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bowman named manager of Pirates’ triple-A club

Shawn Bowman (New Westminster, B.C.) took over as the field manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis on May 16. He replaced Chris Truby who was promoted to the big league staff.

The 40-year-old Bowman is in his seventh season in the Pirates’ organization. He has spent five of those seasons as the club’s minor league field coordinator. In 2019, he was named the Dominican Summer League Manager of the Year after he guided the DSL Pirates 2 squad to a 56-16 record.

Prior to landing with the Pirates, Bowman served as an assistant coach with the Junior National Team from 2013 to 2017 and at the University of British Columbia from 2015 to 2017.

A former infielder, Bowman was selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 2002 MLB draft. He suited up for 10 seasons in the Mets, Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and Marlins organizations before hanging up his playing spikes after the 2012 season.

Bowman has also competed for the national team on multiple occasions, including being a member of the squad that won gold at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

Soroka picks up first MLB win since 2023

Washington Nationals right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) registered his first major league win in almost two years when he started and fanned eight batters in 5 2/3 innings in the Nationals’ 10-4 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards last Sunday.

It was his third start after a stretch on the 10-day injured list due to a right biceps injury.

Prior to this, Soroka’s last big-league win came on July 21, 2023 when he permitted four runs in six innings to help the Braves to a 6-4 win over the Brewers.

The 27-year-old Junior National Team alum signed a one-year, $9-million contract with the Nationals on December 19. He is in his sixth major league season.

Jenkins joined 3,000 strikeout club 43 years ago

Forty-three years ago today, Chicago Cubs right-hander Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) struck out San Diego Padres shortstop Garry Templeton in the third inning for his 3,000th MLB strikeout.

At the time, Jenkins was the seventh pitcher to reach that milestone.

Here’s the video:

Zastryzny back with Brewers

On May 17, the New York Yankees traded left-hander Rob Zastryzny (Edmonton, Alta.) back to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The veteran southpaw was immediately added to the Brewers’ big league roster and he pitched two scoreless innings in relief in the Brewers’ 7-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins. He has since made three more scoreless appearances out of the Brewers’ pen.

Zastryzny has taken a circuitous route back to the Brewers. After posting a 1.17 ERA with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings in nine appearances for them last season, he was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs in November.

Prior to spring training, however, the Cubs designated him for assignment, and on February 17, he was signed to a minor league deal by the Yankees. The Canadian-born lefty proceeded to register a 4.50 ERA in 13 appearances for the Yankees’ triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders.

Zastryzny was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2013. He recorded a 4.41 ERA in 18 relief appearances with the Cubs from 2016 to 2018 and earned a World Series ring in 2016. From 2019 to 2022, he pitched in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Orioles, Marlins, Mets and Angels organizations.

He also started for Canada against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023.

W.P. Kinsella would’ve turned 90 today

Please take a moment to remember 2011 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Jack Graney Award winner and author of Shoeless Joe (which the movie Field of Dreams is based on) W.P. Kinsella who would’ve turned 90 today.

The Edmonton, Alta., native was a highly acclaimed author who was known for his baseball-themed novels. A biography about Kinsella, written by William Steele called Going the Distance: The Life and Works of W.P. Kinsella, was released in 2018.

Kinsella passed away in 2016.

Congratulations to Alexis Brudnicki Tieman!

My heartiest congratulations to my longtime friend and former Canadian Baseball Network colleague Alexis Brudnicki (London, Ont.) on her recent marriage to Joe Tieman

Newly married couple Alexis Brudnicki Tieman and Joe Tieman

The couple, who met at law school at the University of Missouri, was married on May 2 in Kansas City.

Alexis was a superstar writer who has penned more stories about Canadian baseball players than anyone else over the past 15 years. She is now a superstar lawyer at the Brown & James Law Firm in Kansas City. You can read her profile here.

Fun Fact of the Week

Here’s a list of pitchers who have thrown the most major league complete games since 1965:

297 – Gaylord Perry

267 – Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.)

254 – Steve Carlton

245 – Phil Niekro

242 – Bert Blyleven

231 – Tom Seaver

222 – Nolan Ryan

211 – Jim Palmer

195 – Bob Gibson

Credit: Statmuse