Former Milwaukee Brewers Elected to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Two former Milwaukee Brewers have been elected to the 2015 class of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.  Matt Stairs played outfield for the Brewers in 2002 and Corey Koskie manned the hot corner for the Brewers in 2006.  Other members of the class include; Carlos Delgado, who was with the Toronto Blue Jays organization from 1988-2004, Felipe Alou, who won 691 games as the Manager for the Montreal Expos, and Toronto Sun Columnist, Bob Elliott.

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Stairs started 75 games for the Brewers; 43 in right and 32 in left field during the 2002 season.  He finished that season with 16 HR, 41 RBI and splits of .244/.349/.478.  He also served as a pinch hitting option that provided some power late in the game.  In fact, over the course of his career, no one hit more pinch-hit home runs than Stairs’ 23.  While his season numbers with the Brewers were unspectacular, what he did over the course of his career was a little more noteworthy.

During the course of his playing career, which started in 1992 and concluded in 2011, Stairs connected for 265 HR and 899 RBI, while having a career batting average of .262.  He is most remembered for his 1998 and 1999 seasons when he hit 26 HR with 106 RBI and 38 HR with 102 RBI, respectively.  By doing this, he became the first Canadian to post 25+ HR and 100+ RBI in consecutive seasons.  He also appeared in 2 World Series, both with the Phillies, winning in 2008 and losing in 2009.  At the age of 43, Stairs led the league in age while playing for the Nationals in 2011.

According to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame website, Stairs ranks second in home runs (265), games (1895), and walks (717); and third in RBI (899) and doubles (294), for Canadian born players.  He also participated in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada in 2006 and 2009.

In 2006 Koskie made 69 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers, all at third base.  He finished that season with 12 HR and 33 RBI, and his career with 124 HR and 506 RBI, and a respectable .275 batting average.  His most notable season was in 2001 as a member of the Twins, when he finished the season with 26 HR and 103 RBI.

On July 5, 2006, in a game against the Reds, Koskie was injured in a fall while chasing a popup, and diagnosed with a concussion.  The aftermath of the concussion caused Koskie to miss the remainder of the season and all of the next season.  He was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, and would never play in the Major Leagues again.  He did play in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada in 2009, but officially announced his retirement on March 21, 2009.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame website lists Koskie as having the 7th most home runs (124) and on-base percentage (.367) and 8th in slugging percentage (.458) for a Canadian born player.  He also played more big league games at third base than any other Canadian.  He played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009.

The ceremony will take place on June 13th in St. Mary’s, Ontario.  More information about the ceremony and the Canadian Hall of Fame can be found at baseballhalloffame.ca.