Former major leaguer Matt Stairs was named a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2015 Wednesday.
The New Brunswick native played nineteen big league seasons with thirteen different teams, including stints with both the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos.
Stairs was part of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship team and finished his career as the major league leader in pinch hit home runs.
Stairs says there's no one single highlight, but a lot of good memories.
“Your first big league game in Montreal, being a die-hard Red Sox fan growing up and walking into Fenway the first time and going, ‘man, that fence is close,’” says Stairs.
Stairs says he believes his hard work has something to do with his inclusion in the class of 2015.
“Well, I know it's not for my speed,” says Stairs. “I think it's playing for many years, it's putting up consistent numbers, year in and year out on a part-time basis. Really, it was only two years I was a full-time player.”
Now retired, Stairs is an assistant coach with Fredericton High School's hockey team.
Paul Hornibrook is part of the Fredericton Minor Baseball Association and played with Stairs many years ago. He says Stairs is deserving of his call to the Canadian hall, because he provided a believability factor for young players with a dream.
“That puts a mark on baseball in this province, that you not only can make it to professional leagues, but Matt played 19 years and set major league records and won the World Series,” says Hornibrook.
Former Blue Jays Corey Koskie and Carlos Delgado, along with former Expos manager Felipe Alou and writer Bob Elliott join Stairs in this year's class. They'll be officially inducted in June.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell
