Rich Harden will be expected to lead a talent-filled Canada roster at the second World Baseball Classic in 2009.
"(Rich has) better stuff than all three of us. I mean, that's the bottom line...and I wouldn't put it past him to be better than all three of us at some point."
That quote is attributed to former Athletic and current Cardinal Mark Mulder from back in 2004 when asked about Rich Harden, who was a part of one of the best starting rotations in the game at that time with Mulder, Tim Hudson and Barry Zito.
Despite the fact that he's only made roughly 55 percent of his scheduled starts since arriving in the Major Leagues with the Oakland Athletics in 2003, Victoria, BC's Harden is still considered one of the game's top pitching talents. His stuff is flat out filthy and the only thing that has held him back is his questionable health.
A variety of injuries - oblique, back muscle and shoulder strains, and a sprained elbow ligament - have kept one of the game's top pitching talents on the sideline, but it finally appears that the 26-year old is back on track. On a chilly Wednesday night in Oakland, with dozens of friends and family looking in on Sportsnet West and Pacific, Harden went toe-to-toe and pitch-for-pitch with the best pitcher currently plying his trade on Canadian soil, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. The result - seven innings, five hits, one earned run, zero walks, five strikeouts - would normally lead to win, but against Halladay it was a no-decision as Alex Rios' clutch double in the ninth off Keith Foulke gave Toronto their 18th win in 26 May games, the top mark in the American League.
Ten months from now, it will be Harden who will be expected to lead Team Canada into the second World Baseball Classic, with opening round games scheduled to be played at the Rogers Centre. Canada, the United States, Mexico and Italy are paired in a group to participate under the roof in Toronto and it will be interesting to see the level of acceptance from the sceptical sporting public in Toronto, who have been force fed minor league performances while paying major league money for well over a decade.
Harden will be considered the ace of a staff that will likely include Navan, Ontario's Erik Bedard (Mariners), Vancouver's Jeff Francis (Rockies), Surrey's Adam Loewen (Orioles) and Gibsons, BC's Ryan Dempster (Cubs). Offensively, Canadian manager Terry Puhl will have the likes of Trail, BC's Jason Bay (Pirates), East York, Ontario's Russell Martin (Dodgers), New Westminster, BC's Justin Morneau (Twins), Fredericton, New Brunswick's Matt Stairs (Blue Jays) and one of the top young hitters in the majors, Toronto's Joey Votto (Reds).
This core of top quality Major Leaguers give Canada as good a shot as any country in the second incarnation of baseball's World Cup. You might remember back on March 8, 2006 when Canada, under manager Ernie Whitt, sent shock waves through the baseball world by defeating the mighty American team 8-6 in the opening round. Canada did not advance to the playoff round due to some weird tie-breaking rules, but the stage was set for a Canadian team that knows it can play on any field with any country.
And if he can stay healthy, Harden, whose .654 winning percentage since coming into the majors ranks him sixth overall, will be expected to pitch in some big games and hopefully take Canada past the first round. With the quality of players expected to represent our country, expectations will be very high for the first time since they started playing internationally. Next March can't arrive quickly enough, and I hope to see all Canadian baseball fans at the Rogers Centre cheering our squad on. Y'all can miss the hockey for a couple of weeks.
AROUND THE HORN
Now we'll see what the Tampa Bay Rays are all about. They've gone through the first two months of the schedule relatively unscathed, injury-wise, but that all changed on Thursday when closer Troy Percival went on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. His 14 saves are a big reason why the Rays atop the A.L. East and now they'll be forced to go with a closer by committee approach, something that has done them in prior to this season...
It looks like the Yankees have finally resisted the urge and Joba Chamberlain will make his first Major League start next Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays. Roy Halladay is scheduled to start for Toronto. You might want to Tivo this one...
Who would have thought that just three-plus seasons removed from his brilliant career with the Blue Jays that Carlos Delgado looks like he's all done. It's a classic case of "careful what you wish for". Since leaving Toronto, Delgado has become a mistake hitter who can no longer get around on fastballs and is a liability in the field...
By winning seven of his first 10 starts this season, Jesse Litsch joins select list of Blue Jays to accomplish that feat:
Blue Jays - Most Wins in First 10 Starts of a season, All-Time
Roger Clemens 1997 9-0 1.000
Dave Stieb 1983 8-2 .800
Tom Filer 1985 7-0 1.000
Pat Hentgen 1993 7-1 .875
Jesse Litsch 2008 7-1 .875
Cory Lidle 2003 7-2 .778
Roy Halladay 2005 7-2 .778
Jimmy Key 1991 7-2 .778
David Wells 2000 7-2 .778
Jim Clancy 1987 7-2 .778
