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Canada national baseball team
Information
Country  Canada
Federation Baseball Canada
Confederation WBSC Americas
Manager Ernie Whitt
WBSC ranking
Current 16 Steady (18 December 2023) [1]
Highest6 (December 2012)
Lowest14 (December 2022)
World Baseball Classic
Appearances5 (first in 2006)
Best result9 ( 2006)
Olympic Games
Appearances2 (first in 2004)
Best result4 ( 2004)
WBSC Premier12
Appearances2 (first in 2015)
Best result5 ( 2015)
World Cup
Appearances17 (first in 1970)
Best result Bronze (2: 2009, 2011)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1973)
Best result5 ( 1973)
Pan American Games
Appearances11 (first in 1967)
Best result Gold (2: 2011, 2015)

The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada.

Canada was an inaugural member of the World Baseball Classic, making its debut in the first edition. They have yet to make it past the first round.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of professional baseball match results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. [2]

Legend

  Win   Lose   Void or postponed   Fixture

2019

Pan American Games Q January 29 Panama  1–5   Canada Academia CBBS, Brazil
15:00 BRT Boxscore
Pan American Games Q February 1 Colombia  8–6   Canada Academia CBBS, Brazil
11:00 BRT Boxscore
Pan American Games Q February 2 Dominican Republic  10–7   Canada Academia CBBS, Brazil
11:00 BRT Boxscore
Pan American Games Q February 3 Canada  12–14   Nicaragua Academia CBBS, Brazil
11:00 BRT Boxscore
Pan American Games GS July 29 Argentina  0–10 ( F/8)   Canada Campo de Béisbol, Peru
15:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 2,355
Pan American Games GS July 30 Canada  8–6   Cuba Campo de Béisbol, Peru
19:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 1,123
Pan American Games GS August 1 Colombia  3–10   Canada Campo de Béisbol, Peru
10:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 0
Pan American Games SR August 2 Puerto Rico  8–5   Canada Campo de Béisbol, Peru
15:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 2,100
Pan American Games SR August 3 Nicaragua  0–10 ( F/7)   Canada Campo de Béisbol, Peru
15:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 1,979
Pan American Games F August 4 Puerto Rico  6–1   Canada Campo de Béisbol, Peru
18:00 PET Boxscore Attendance: 2,500
WBSC Premier12 GS November 6 Canada  3–0   Cuba Gocheok Dome, South Korea
12:00 KT Boxscore Attendance: 250
WBSC Premier12 GS November 7 South Korea  3–1   Canada Gocheok Dome, South Korea
19:00 KT Boxscore Attendance: 6,000
WBSC Premier12 GS November 8 Canada  1–3   Australia Gocheok Dome, South Korea
12:00 KT Boxscore Attendance: 200

2023

World Baseball Classic GS March 12 Great Britain  8–18 ( F/7)   Canada Chase Field, United States
12:00 MT LP: Akeel Morris (0–1)
HR: Harry Ford (1)
Boxscore WP: Phillippe Aumont (1–0)
HR: Edouard Julien (1), Owen Caissie (1)
Attendance: 11,555
Umpires: HP – Felix Tejada, 1B – Bill Miller, 2B – Jhonatan Biarreta, 3B – Carlos Torres
World Baseball Classic GS March 13 Canada  1–12 ( F/7)   United States Chase Field, United States
19:00 MT LP: Mitch Bratt (0–1)
HR: Jared Young (1)
Boxscore WP: Lance Lynn (1–0)
HR: Mike Trout (1), Trea Turner (1)
Attendance: 29,621
Umpires: HP – Bill Miller, 1B – Edwin Louisa, 2B – Alan Porter, 3B – Jairo Mendoza
World Baseball Classic GS March 14 Canada  5–0   Colombia Chase Field, United States
12:00 MT WP: Noah Skirrow (1–0)
HR: Otto Lopez (1)
Boxscore LP: Adrian Almeida (0–1)
Attendance: 10,571
Umpires: HP: Doug Eddings. 1B: Alan Porter. 2B: Jairo Mendoza. 3B: Edwin Louisa
World Baseball Classic GS March 15 Mexico  10–3   Canada Chase Field, United States
12:00 MT WP: José Urquidy (1–0)
HR: Rowdy Tellez (1)
Boxscore LP: Rob Zastryzny (0–1)
HR: Bo Naylor (1), Edouard Julien (2)
Attendance: 17,245
Umpires: HP – Carlos Torres, 1B – Doug Eddings, 2B – Jhonathan Biarreta, 3B – Edwin Louisa

Team

Current roster

The roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic

2023 World Baseball Classic roster
Players Coaches
Pitchers
Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

Updated: February 25, 2023 [3]

Recent call-ups

Player No. Pos. DOB and age Team League
Andrew Albers 27 P (1985-10-06) October 6, 1985 (age 38) Minnesota Twins (minors) Major League Baseball
Phillippe Aumont 17 P (1989-01-07) January 7, 1989 (age 35) Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball
John Axford 59 P (1983-04-01) April 1, 1983 (age 40) Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball
Jesse Crain 28 P (1981-07-05) July 5, 1981 (age 42) Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball
Mark Hardy 26 P (1988-05-03) May 3, 1988 (age 35) San Diego Padres (minors) Major League Baseball
Jim Henderson 51 P (1982-10-21) October 21, 1982 (age 41) New York Mets Major League Baseball
Shawn Hill 45 P (1981-04-28) April 28, 1981 (age 42) Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball
Jay Johnson 57 P (1989-12-21) December 21, 1989 (age 34) Philadelphia Phillies (minors) Major League Baseball
Chris Leroux 63 P (1984-04-14) April 14, 1984 (age 39) Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball
Trystan Magnuson 38 P (1985-06-06) June 6, 1985 (age 38) Toronto Blue Jays (minors) Major League Baseball
Scott Mathieson 47 P (1984-02-27) February 27, 1984 (age 40) Yomiuri Giants Nippon Professional Baseball
Dustin Molleken 35 P (1984-08-21) August 21, 1984 (age 39) Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball
Jameson Taillon 18 P (1991-11-18) November 18, 1991 (age 32) Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball
Chris Robinson 30 C (1984-05-12) May 12, 1984 (age 39) Baltimore Orioles (minors) Major League Baseball
John Suomi 55 C (1980-10-05) October 5, 1980 (age 43) Kansas City Royals (minors) Major League Baseball
Taylor Green 5 IF (1986-11-02) November 2, 1986 (age 37) Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball
Cale Iorg 16 IF (1985-09-06) September 6, 1985 (age 38) Detroit Tigers (minors) Major League Baseball
Brett Lawrie 13 IF (1990-01-18) January 18, 1990 (age 34) Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball
Jonathan Malo 11 IF (1983-09-29) September 29, 1983 (age 40) Québec Capitales Can-Am League
Justin Morneau 33 IF (1981-05-15) May 15, 1981 (age 42) Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball
Pete Orr 4 IF (1979-06-08) June 8, 1979 (age 44) Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball
Jimmy Van Ostrand 29 IF (1984-08-07) August 7, 1984 (age 39) Washington Nationals (minors) Major League Baseball
Joey Votto 19 IF (1983-09-10) September 10, 1983 (age 40) Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball
Tyson Gillies 24 OF (1988-10-31) October 31, 1988 (age 35) Philadelphia Phillies (minors) Major League Baseball
Adam Loewen 21 OF (1984-04-09) April 9, 1984 (age 39) Arizona Diamondbacks (minors) Major League Baseball
Michael Saunders 20 OF (1986-11-19) November 19, 1986 (age 37) Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball
Rene Tosoni 9 OF (1986-07-02) July 2, 1986 (age 37) Milwaukee Brewers (minors) Major League Baseball
Tim Smith 14 DH (1986-06-14) June 14, 1986 (age 37) Atlanta Braves (minors) Major League Baseball

Competitive record

World Baseball Classic

World Baseball Classic record Qualification record
Year Round Position W L RS RA W L RS RA
United States 2006 Round 1 9th 2 1 20 23 No qualifiers held
Canada 2009 Round 1 13th 0 2 7 12 No qualifiers held
United States 2013 Round 1 12th 1 2 18 26 3 0 38 9
United States 2017 Round 1 15th 0 3 3 21 Automatically qualified
United States 2023 Round 1 14th 2 2 27 30 Automatically qualified
Total Round 1 5/5 5 10 75 112 3 0 38 9
Team Canada plays at the 2009 WBC as hosting fans cheer the players on

2006 WBC: Inaugural classic

In June 2005, Major League Baseball announced the formation of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international competition to be held in March 2006 for the first time. Canada was one of the sixteen teams invited to play in the inaugural classic. Because the event will be held in March, before the North American baseball season traditionally starts, players active in Major League Baseball or any minor league affiliates are eligible to play in the WBC, making the team markedly different from the teams which represented Canada in the 2005 World Cup or the 2004 Olympics.

Several high-profile Canadian players declined the opportunity to participate, including Ryan Dempster, Shawn Hill, Danny Klassen, Éric Gagné and Rich Harden, who were injured. Los Angeles Dodgers' prospect Russell Martin was named to the team, but pulled out in favor of reporting to Spring training. In addition, Larry Walker, who retired after the 2005 season, opted not to participate, choosing instead to serve in a coaching capacity.

Canada played in Pool B of the tournament with Mexico, South Africa and the United States.

Team Canada was heavily favoured to win their first game against South Africa, a team made up almost entirely by amateurs. However, South Africa put up a tough challenge to the Canadian team. South African starter, Carl Michaels pitched outstandingly; Canada could not get a run until the 5th inning, when they scored 3. However, the South Africans shockingly scored 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 5th against Paul Quantrill. It was back and forth from then on. It looked like South Africa might pull off a monumental upset as they went into the 9th with an 8–7 lead. However, in the top of the 9th, the Canadians scored 4 times to win the game 11–8.

Adam Stern

After almost being upset by a surprising South African team, Canada pulled off an upset of its own with an 8-6 victory over the star-studded United States team. Scoring in each of the first five innings, the Canadians built an 8–0 lead using a combination of timely, patient hitting, steady pitching and clutch fielding. In the bottom of the fifth, the United States threatened a comeback, exploding for 6 runs, capped off by a Jason Varitek grand slam. The Canadian team held off the US the rest of the way, as neither team crossed the plate again in the game. Adam Stern had a strong outing, going 3 for 4, a double shy of the cycle, with an inside-the-park home run, as well as making several spectacular plays in center field to keep his team ahead.

After Canada's victory over the United States, they got shocked by the Mexican team in a 9–1 resounding defeat. Unfortunately for the Canadian side, this victory would eventually cost them the trip to the 2nd round of the tournament after the United States beat South Africa 17–0 and clinched the second place in Pool B. Canada, USA, and Mexico each finished with a 2–1 record in the pool, but Canada lost the tie-breaker based on runs allowed.

2006 WBC Results
March 7
1st Round, Pool B – Game 2
  Canada 11–8 South Africa  United States Scottsdale Stadium
Attendance: 5,829
Boxscore
March 8
1st Round, Pool D – Game 3
  Canada 8–6 United States  United States Chase Field
Attendance: 16,993
Boxscore
March 9
1st Round, Pool D – Game 5
Mexico  9–1   Canada United States Chase Field
Attendance: 15,744
Boxscore

2009 WBC: First classic held on home soil

Canada was placed in 2009 World Baseball Classic – Pool C hosting the United States, Italy, and Venezuela at Rogers Centre in Toronto. In their opener, Canada lost a close game against the United States by a score of 6–5. On March 9, Canada was eliminated from the tournament after losing 6–2 to underdog Italy. Canada exited the WBC with an 0–2 record and 6.35 runs allowed per 9 innings, to secure thirteenth place overall.

2009 WBC Results
March 7
1st Round, Pool C – Game 1
  Canada 5–6 United States  Canada Rogers Centre
Attendance: 42,314
Boxscore
March 9
1st Round, Pool C – Game 4
Italy  6–2   Canada Canada Rogers Centre
Attendance: 12,411
Boxscore

2013 WBC: Brawl vs Mexico

Canada qualified by winning a qualifying tournament in Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany, in September 2012, that also featured the Czech Republic, Germany and Great Britain. Canada moved on to the 1st Round. [4]

The Canadian team was placed in 2013 World Baseball Classic – Pool D against Italy, Mexico and the United States. In their opener, Canada lost to the Italian baseball team 14–4 after the game ended in the 8th inning due to the mercy rule in place after Italy scored five additional runs during the bottom of the 8th inning. On March 9, Canada faced off against Mexico. With Canada already leading the game, third baseman Luis Cruz motioned the pitcher Arnold Leon to bean the next batter, Rene Tosoni, which resulted in a bench clearing brawl. Seven players from both teams ejected from the game. Despite this, they clinched a 10–3 win over Mexico. They lost the final game against the United States 9–4, thus eliminating Canada from the tournament.

The Canadian team missed out on advancing to the next round for the third time, but still managed to claim their automatic qualification for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

2013 WBC Results
March 8
1st Round, Pool D – Game 2
  Canada 4–14 ( F/8) Italy  United States Chase Field
Attendance: 5,140
Boxscore
March 9
1st Round, Pool D – Game 4
  Canada 10–3 Mexico  United States Chase Field
Attendance: 19,581
Boxscore
March 10
1st Round, Pool D – Game 6
United States  9–4   Canada United States Chase Field
Attendance: 22,425
Boxscore

2017 WBC: Worst finish

Canada was placed in 2017 World Baseball Classic – Pool C against the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and the United States. Their performances were abysmal, even losing to surprising debutants Colombia.

After losing all three of its matches, they finished last in their group, and were forced to go through qualifiers for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

2017 WBC Results
March 9
1st Round, Pool C – Game 1
  Canada 2–9 Dominican Republic  United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 27,388
Boxscore
March 11
1st Round, Pool C – Game 3
Colombia  4–1   Canada United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 17,209
Boxscore
March 12
1st Round, Pool C – Game 6
Canada  0–8   United States United States Marlins Park
Attendance: 22,303
Boxscore

2023 WBC

Canada automatically qualified for the 2023 tournament by playing in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

The Canadian team was placed in 2023 World Baseball Classic – Pool C against Great Britain, United States, Columbia and Mexico. They began pool play against Great Britain. The Canadians had to overcome an early deficit, however, Tyler O’Neill and Jacob Robson had four hits each to lead Canada to an 18–8 mercy rule win   In Game 2, propelled by a nine-run first inning, they lost 1–12 against the United States. In Game 3 against Columbia, Canada led 1–0 going into the eighth inning, but Otto Lopez, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect, led off the inning with a triple and was driven in by Owen Caissie's two-out RBI single to push the lead to 2–0. Lopez's three-run shot in the ninth gave Canada an even bigger cushion, which ultimately lead them to winning 5–0. Their 2–1 record set up a win-or-go-home game vs Mexico. After a good start to the game, Mexico blew the game open with a four-run sixth, keyed by Randy Arozarena’s three-run double. They would go on to win the game 10–3, ultimately eliminating Canada from the tournament.

By finishing top four in their group, Canada still managed to claim their automatic qualification spot for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

March 12th
3:00 P.M. EST, 12:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 1
Great Britain  8–18 ( F/7)   Canada Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 11,555
Boxscore
March 13th
10:00 P.M. EST, 7:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 2
  Canada 1–12 ( F/7) United States  Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 29,621
Boxscore
March 14th
3:00 P.M. EST, 12:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 3
  Canada 5–0   Colombia Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 10,571
Boxscore
March 15th
3:00 P.M. EST, 12:00 P.M. PST
Pool C, Game 4
  Mexico 10–3   Canada Chase Field, Phoenix Arizona
Attendance: 17,245
Boxscore

Olympic Games

Canada has qualified for two Olympic Games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.

Summer Olympics record Qualification
Year Round Position W L RS RA
United States 1984 Preliminary 5th (tied) [a] 1 2 10 11
South Korea 1988 Preliminary 5th (tied) [a] 1 2 17 19
Spain 1992 did not qualify
United States 1996 did not qualify
Australia 2000 did not qualify 1999 Pan American Games
Greece 2004 Finals 4th 5 4 46 36 2004 Americas Olympic Baseball Qualifying Tournament
China 2008 Preliminary 6th 2 5 26 23 4th, American Qualifying Tournament
Final Qualifying Tournament
Japan 2020 did not qualify
Total [b] Finals 2/5 7 9 72 59
  1. ^ a b No medals awarded; tournament was a demonstration sport only
  2. ^ Totals only include years 1992 to 2008, during which baseball was an official medal sport.

1984 Summer Olympics: Inaugural tournament

Canada was invited to participate at the 1984 Summer Olympics. They finished with a 1–2 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round. They finished tied for third in their pool, the equivalent of a tie for fifth overall.

1988 Summer Olympics: Missing the knockout stage

Canada qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics by finishing in fourth place at the 1987 Pan American Games and defeating 1987 European Baseball Championship silver medalist Italy in a playoff. They finished with a 1–2 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round. They finished in seventh place overall.

2004 Summer Olympics: Fourth place finish

Canada qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by finishing second at the Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Panama. They finished with a 5–2 record in pool play, then fell to Cuba in the semifinals. Canada would ultimately lose the Bronze Medal game 11–2 to Japan.

2008 Summer Olympics: Missing the knockout round

Canada qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics by finishing first in the Final Qualifying Tournament. They finished with 2–5 record in pool play, and did not advance to the knockout round.

WBSC Premier12

2015 WBSC Premier12: Inaugural event

Canada was placed in Pool A against Cuba, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Italy, and host Chinese Taipei. They completed a perfect 5–0 pool play to advance to the playoff stage. They ultimately lost to Mexico 4–3 in the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth place overall.

2019 WBSC Premier12: Stiffer competition

Two quota spots were allocated from the Tournament, of the spots for six baseball teams at the 2020 Olympic Games.

Canada was placed in Pool C against Australia, Cuba, and host South Korea. They compiled a 1–2 pool play record, and did not advance to the Super Round. They finished in seventh place overall

Amateur World Series and Baseball World Cup

  Canada
Baseball World Cup
Amateur World Series
Colombia Colombia, 19709th (tie)
Cuba Cuba, 19716th (tie)
Nicaragua Nicaragua, 19729th
Nicaragua Nicaragua, 19736th (tie)
United States United States, 19744th (tie)
Italy Italy, 19789th
Japan Japan, 19805th
South Korea South Korea, 19825th
World Cup
Italy Italy, 19885th
Canada Canada, 19908th
Nicaragua Nicaragua, 199414th
Italy Italy, 19986th in Pool B
Taiwan Taiwan, 20016th in Pool B
Cuba Cuba, 20035th in Pool A
Netherlands Netherlands, 20055th in Pool A
Taiwan Taiwan, 20079th
Europe Europe, 20093rd
Panama Panama, 20113rd
Medal Tally
Gold
-
Silver
-
Bronze
2
Rank
14th

Canada has competed at 9 World Cups and 8 more times in its predecessor the Amateur World series. Their best finish was a bronze at the 2009 World Cup and at the 2011 World Cup.

Pan American Games

Canada's first appearance at the Pan American Games came in 1967. Their first medal came in 1999, when the team won the bronze medal for their third-place finish. In 2011, Canada won the gold medal game over the United States, 2–1, to win Canada's first-ever baseball gold medal. Canada won their second consecutive gold medal in 2015, defeating the United States, 7–6 (10 innings), in the final. In 2019, Canada won the silver medal, losing to Puerto Rico in the final match.

  • 1951 : Did not qualify
  • 1955 : Did not qualify
  • 1959 : Did not qualify
  • 1963 : Did not qualify
  • 1967 : 5th
  • 1971 : 4th

Haarlem Baseball Week

World Port Tournament

Uniforms

Home
Away

See also

References

  1. ^ "The WBSC World Ranking". WBSC. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Canada in the WBSC Ranking (Men's baseball)". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "World Baseball Classic Roster". baseball.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  4. ^ World Baseball Classic. "Schedule" Accessed October 3, 2012. "World Baseball Classic: Schedule and Tickets". Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.

External links