'Induction day': Baseball legends at Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys
Russell Martin was taken aback when he walked into the plaque room at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (CBHOF) for the first time.
“There's pictures of pretty much just the history of baseball in Canada…it feels like a movie, it doesn't even feel real,” said the former Toronto Blue Jay, who was inducted into the CBHOF this year. “I have to pinch myself because it feels like a dream”.
Martin was one of the inductees present Saturday at the CBHOF. He joins Ashley Stephenson, Howard Birnie, Rod Heisler, Paul Godfrey, and Jimmy Key as those going into the hall.
“It's kind of hard to, to process that this picture is going to be up there for, you know, for my lifetime,” added Martin, who played 1,693 games in the Major Leagues. “When those days are over, it'll still be up there. A lot a lot of these pictures, like, especially the older ones, I don't know who these guys are, but they've obviously played a big part of Canadian history.”
Russell Martin looks at his plaque at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. on June 15, 224. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Ashley Stephenson becomes the first female from the modern era inducted into the hall.
“it’s like the old saying, if you can see it, you can be it,” said Stephenson, a former member of Canada’s National team.
“When I grew up playing, I didn't see anybody on TV, especially, watching the Jays like everybody else. I saw Devon White, Joe Carter. They were excellent people and great role models. Now you can turn on the TV and you can see women. Hazel Mae is one we see every single day when we turn on the TV, and women are starting to break down barriers. I'm happy to be a really small piece of that,” said Stephenson.
Inductees (L-R) Russell Martin, Ashley Stephenson, Rod Heisler, Paul Godfey at Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. on June 15, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)She said she always played the game because she loved it, but is happy to be considered a “trailblazer or pioneer.”
“Hopefully I inspire the next generation of young girls,’ said Stephenson, who is a coach for the Vancouver Canadians, a Blue Jays affiliate. “There's lots of things to be done to continue to have this movement forward, but if you think about the WNBA, the new Canadian Women's Soccer League and the PWHL, those are all really, really positive things, for women.”
Former Toronto Blue Jays catcher and current broadcaster Buck Martinez is in town.
He’s being honoured as the Jack Graney Award winner for making a “significant contribution to the game in Canada.”
“Jack Graney and I had an awful lot in common,” said Martinez. “He was a former player that went into the broadcast booth for the Cleveland Indians and actually broadcast longer than he played, much like myself. I was fortunate that at the time, that TSN offered me the opportunity to get into television [in] 1987 and I thought, wow, it would be something. I was fortunate to have many great people around me that helped me.”
Inductee Rod Heisler looks at his plaque in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. on June 15, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)Martinez was thrilled to be among those celebrating this special weekend, as he made his way to the small community in Perth County.
“The first time I've been in Saint Marys,” said Martinez.
“It's a wonderful community, obviously, it's a lot like Cooperstown in New York. To have my family, my wife, some special friends here to share this day with me, and the entire weekend, it's been very special. The Canadian Hall of Fame did a great job of making us feel honored.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
NDP house leader says House dysfunction will be a factor in future confidence votes
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
BREAKING Jury begins deliberations in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
BREAKING Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
Airlines' challenge of Canada's passenger protection rules rejected by Supreme Court
Canada's airlines have failed in their challenge of air passenger protection rules that the federal government implemented in 2019.