Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien
Original building in St. Marys, c. 2010
Established	1982
Location	386 Church Street South St. Marys, Ontario, Canada
Type	Sports museum

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (which is Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien in French) is a special place in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. It's a museum that celebrates the amazing players, teams, and achievements in baseball in Canada. It helps us remember the history of baseball in Canada.

History of the Hall of Fame

The museum first started in November 1982 in Toronto. It was at Exhibition Place and later moved to Ontario Place. In August 1994, the museum found its permanent home in St. Marys, Ontario. Its doors officially opened there in June 1998.

On November 23, 2017, work began to make the museum bigger. They added a new section that was about 2500 square feet. This new part included a safe place for old records, a library, a new entrance, and a space for talks and exhibits. The updated museum opened on April 27, 2019.

The Hall of Fame works to keep Canada's baseball history alive. Did you know that baseball in Canada goes way back to June 4, 1838? That's when a game very much like today's baseball was played in Beachville, Ontario. A professor named Bob Barney from the University of Western Ontario did a lot of research to prove this early game happened. He also helped move the Hall of Fame to St. Marys.

In 2021, Helen Callaghan made history. She played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). She became the first woman to be chosen for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame by herself. Before this, all Canadian women who played in the AAGPBL were inducted as a group in 1998. The Hall of Fame is always working to make sure all important baseball stories are shared.

Awards and Honors

Since it opened, more than 125 people have been chosen to join the Hall of Fame. These include professional and amateur players, coaches, managers, umpires, broadcasters, and writers. They are all people who helped make baseball popular in Canada. Some teams and groups have also been inducted.

Many people in the Canadian Hall of Fame are also in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. This shows how important their contributions to baseball were!

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame also gives out two special awards each year:

• The Tip O'Neill Award goes to the Canadian baseball player who has done really well. This player must show great skill and be a good teammate. They also need to follow the highest ideals of the game.
• The Jack Graney Award is for people who have had a long and great career in baseball media. This could be broadcasters or writers.

Museum Facilities

Hall of Fame archives building

The museum in St. Marys is on a big property, about 32 acres. This area also has four baseball fields. These fields were designed by a landscape architect named Art Lierman.

Inside the museum, you can see the Pearson Cup. This cup was given to the winner of a yearly game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. These games happened from 1978 to 1986.

How People Get Nominated

To be chosen for the Hall of Fame, people need to meet certain rules:

• A player must have stopped playing for at least three years.
• They need to get 75 percent of the votes to be inducted.
• If someone is not Canadian, they must have done something very important for baseball in Canada.
• A nominated person stays on the ballot for nine years. They need to get at least one vote every two years to stay on the list.
• All information for nominations must be sent in by December 1 for the next year's vote.

Some Inductees

Many amazing people and groups have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Here are a few examples. The full list is very long and includes many more incredible individuals and teams!

Tip O'Neill was one of the first players inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Umpire Ernie Quigley was inducted in 2021.

	This symbol means the person is also a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. This includes winners of the Ford C. Frick Award and BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

Individuals (Selected Examples)

Name	Role(s)	Born			Year inducted
		City	Province or state	Country
Callaghan, HelenHelen Callaghan	Player	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	2021
Carter, GaryGary Carter	Player	Culver City	California	United States	2001
Carter, JoeJoe Carter	Player	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	United States	2003
Jenkins, FergusonFerguson Jenkins	Player	Chatham	Ontario	Canada	1987
Alomar, RobertoRoberto Alomar	Player	Ponce	—	Puerto Rico	2010
Robinson, JackieJackie Robinson	Player	Cairo	Georgia	United States	1991
Walker, LarryLarry Walker	Player	Maple Ridge	British Columbia	Canada	2009

Groups

See also

• History of baseball outside the United States#Canada
• London Tecumsehs#Early baseball in Canada
• Category:Baseball in Canada
• Baseball awards#Canada