Baseball Canada | Canadians in the Playoffs

October 02, 2007

Canadians in the Playoffs

The Major League Baseball regular season has come to a close and there are three Canadians who are continuing on for a chance to compete for a World Series title.

After winning 14 of their last 15 games, the Colorado Rockies clinched the National League Wild Card and will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the League Division Series and Jeff Francis of Vancouver, B.C. will be on the mound for game one for the Rockies.

The left-handed pitcher who is continually establishing himself as the ace of the Rockies staff posted a 17-9 mark this season with a 4.22 ERA in 34 games. He threw 215.1 innings, striking out 165 batters to only 63 walks. This marks the first time in Francis’ Major League career that he will participate in the playoffs.

Ryan Dempster of Gibsons, B.C. will also be in the playoffs for the first time in his Major League career. The Chicago Cubs pitcher posted a 2-7 record with a 4.73 ERA and 28 saves this season. The Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series.

A trade from the Texas Rangers to the Boston Red Sox helped Eric Gagné of Mascouche, Québec reach the playoffs for the second time in his Major League career, the previous time coming with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. Gagné put together a 4-2 mark with a 3.81 ERA and 16 saves this season between the Rangers and Red Sox.

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