When Reno Lizzi first brought professional baseball to Lethbridge, little did he know he was on a collision course with the team he grew up idolizing.
Over the course of the next four years, the Lethbridge Dodgers would claim three Pioneer League championships under manager Gail Henley.
Read More Dodger DynastyThe Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers bring championship pedigrees to their 2025 battle for a World Series title.
The Jays won Major League Baseball’s top prize in 1992 and 1993, while the Dodgers have eight championships, including one from their time in Brooklyn.
There was a time – in the 1980s and 1990s – when Pioneer Baseball League squads from Medicine Hat and Lethbridge contributed to the ultimate success of their parent clubs in Ontario and California.
Read More Hatching Jays and Building A Bridge to L.A.Baseball players, coaches, builders and dreamers are taking their place among the sporting legends of Alberta.
Five major baseball figures in the province – Orv Franchuk, Dr. Randy Gregg, W.P. Kinsella, Mel Kowalchuk and Reno Lizzi – are part of a major induction ceremony that will take place at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame …
Read More Baseball Call to the HallThe Candyman can.
He proved that in San Francisco and in Cleveland and in Toronto, too.
But before Candido Maldonado brought his can-do attitude to those Major League Baseball (MLB) markets, he established a name for himself in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Read More Candy Crush“You have to know the past to understand the present.”
As we continue to beam about the state of baseball in Alberta, it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate our past.
It’s time for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to consider some of the builders who helped bring the Pioneer League and Pacific Coast League to Alberta.
Read More OPINION: Five Famed Names for the Canadian Baseball HallOur picks for the Lethbridge Dodgers All-Time Team.
See who made the cut at each position …
Read More Lethbridge Dodgers: All-Time TeamA look back at the first pro season of Sid Fernandez, who won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986.
Fernandez got his start in the Pioneer League with the Lethbridge Dodgers …
Read More Sid-sational!Southern Alberta’s love affair with baseball hit a fever pitch in the 1970’s.
After years of our own circuits and big league players barnstorming through, relationships were built to bring affiliated baseball to the masses.
In the first of our three-part look at the Pioneer League’s days in Alberta, we profile the lead-up to the first game at home for the Lethbridge Expos.
Read More The Pioneers: Lethbridge ExposThere was a time when if you wanted to play Major League Baseball (MLB), you were likely to make a minor-league stop in Canada first.
Either as visitors or members of the home squad, countless players in the Pioneer League or the Pacific Coast League (PCL) would find their way to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary or Edmonton.
In our second of a two-part series, we explore the coaches and managers from the National League (NL) who played in Alberta before finding their way in the majors.
Read More Alberta’s NL Dugout ConnectionsMajor League Baseball (MLB) may feel like it is far removed from the ball diamonds of Alberta, but if you play a quick game of six dugouts of separation you’ll discover there are plenty of coaching connections between the majors and our province.
In our first of a two-part series exploring those connections, we look at the American League squads who have former Alberta players on the payroll.
Read More Alberta’s AL Dugout Connections