This spring, Russell Martin and Jimmy Key, two former all-stars with the Toronto Blue Jays, will be admitted into the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame.
According to the Hall on Tuesday, former national team pitcher Rod Heisler, longtime Toronto Leaside baseball official Howard
Birnie, former Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Godfrey, and former women’s national team member Ashley Stephenson are also
members of the Class of 2024.
In a release, Hall board chair Jeremy Diamond stated, “Everyone in this year’s class has had a tremendous impact on the game of
baseball in Canada.” “We look forward to celebrating their outstanding careers in St. Marys this June.”
June 15 at the Hall of Fame grounds in the town in southwest Ontario is set aside for an induction ceremony; it’s roughly a half-hour
trip from
Key, a Huntsville, Alabama native, spent seven seasons as a starting pitcher for Toronto. In 1992, the left-hander and the Blue Jays
won a World Series.
Martin got the Jays out of their playoff skid.
In 1985, he was selected for the first time as an all-star, with a 14-6 record and a 3.00 earned-run average. Drafted by the Blue Jays in
1982, Key went 17-8 with an AL-best 2.76 ERA in 1987, earning him the title of American League pitcher of the year from Sporting
News.
“I would like to thank the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and their executive committee for this great honour,” Key stated. “Playing
for the Blue Jays organization in Toronto for nine fantastic years comes to an end with this distinction.
“To take part in
Martin, a native of Toronto, participated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic for Canada and spent portions of 14 seasons in the major
leagues. Prior to the 2015 campaign, he signed a contract with the Blue Jays, and that autumn, he helped the team snap a 22-year
playoff drought.
Martin finished his career with one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team he played for his first five major league seasons,
after playing with the Blue Jays through 2018.
Godfrey, a longstanding politician in his home city of Toronto, was involved in the effort that resulted in the construction of SkyDome
(now Rogers Centre), which opened in 1989, and he helped set the stage for the city to acquire an MLB club in 1976. He joined the
Blue Jays in 2000 and served as its president and CEO until 2008.
Mississauga, Ontario, native Stephenson played for the first women’s national team in 2004 and was a member of the team for 15
seasons. She placed second twice and fourth four times in the Women’s World Cup. She presently works for the High-A Vancouver
Canadians as a position coach.
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, native Heisler pitched in a record 14 international
Birnie was born and raised in Toronto, where he has spent more than 70 years as an umpire, coach, and player. In 2012, he was
honored with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for his half-century of volunteer work in amateur baseball.
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