By IAN WILSON
One of the best pitchers to ever suit up for the Toronto Blue Jays and a player who got his start in professional baseball in Alberta has been selected for induction in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Lefty hurler Jimmy Key was one of six people named as part of the 2024 induction class recently, adding the honour to his list of achievements, which includes a pair of World Series rings and five Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star appearances.
“I would like to thank the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and their Executive Committee for this great honour,” said Key in a press release.
“This recognition caps off nine great years that I played in Toronto for the Blue Jay organization. To be a part of the first professional baseball World Championship team in Canada, is the highlight of my career.”
Southern Alberta baseball fans got a brief glimpse of Key’s potential in 1982. That year, Toronto’s 56th overall pick was sent to Medicine Hat for his first pro stop in the rookie-level Pioneer League, where he played alongside David Wells and Pat Borders.
In just over 31 innings of work with the Baby Jays, Key posted a 2-1 record with a 2.30 earned run average (ERA) and he struck out 25 batters in his five starts.
By mid-July, the organization had seen enough and promoted Key to the Single-A Florence Blue Jays of the South Atlantic League.
It was a move that didn’t go over well in the Gas City, with baseball observers sensing that even then they might be missing out on something special.
Medicine Hat News baseball writer Wayne Moriarty reported on the situation.
“Key is the reason a sudden epidemic of Blue Jays malaise is sweeping Medicine Hat,” he wrote about Key’s promotion.
“Now the people of Medicine Hat have waited many years for a Pioneer League winner, and now that things are starting to look promising, a talented pitcher gets plucked from the Athletic Park nest.”
READ MORE: Key to the Game
Key never looked back. By 1984, he was pitching for Toronto and with the big-league Blue Jays he helped deliver the franchise’s first World Series title in 1992. Another championship with the New York Yankees followed in 1996.
Of Blue Jays pitchers who have logged more than 1,000 innings pitched, Key sits tied for first in ERA (3.42) and WHIP (1.20) and fourth in wins with 116.
His MLB career – which also included a pair of seasons with the Baltimore Orioles – spanned 15 seasons and over 2,590 innings. He finished with a 1,538 strikeouts and a 186-117 record.
The Sporting News named Key the American League Pitcher of the Year in 1987. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting that season and was a runner up again in 1994.
Joining Key as part of the 2024 class is MLB All-Star catcher Russell Martin; former Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Godfrey; Toronto Leaside Baseball Association executive Howard Birnie; 1980s Canadian national team star pitcher Rod Heisler; and Ashley Stephenson, who played for the women’s national baseball team before becoming a groundbreaking coach with the Vancouver Canadians.
Stephenson was a guest on Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast in 2022.
“I would do anything to make it more successful and allow our players to have opportunities that were as good as mine and better,” she said of the Baseball Canada women’s program during that interview.
“Part of it is growing the sport to the point that it’s better than where it started and where I left.”
The six will be inducted at a June 15th ceremony at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Marys, Ontario.
“Each member of this year’s class has had a tremendous impact on the game of baseball in Canada,” said Jeremy Diamond, chair of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors.
“We look forward to celebrating their outstanding careers in St. Marys this June.”
