Team Canada’s coach still basking in Pan Am gold
The pace has slowed for Greg Hamilton since Canada’s wild extra-innings gold medal baseball victory over the United States in the Pan Am Games.
Hamilton, the coach and director of national teams for Baseball Canada, is watching games at the Baseball Canada Cup at Cairns and Leakos fields seeking standout talent for the national junior team.
But Hamilton is still basking in the victory that earned Canada its second straight Pan Am gold, this time at home in Ajax, Ont.
“It was tight all the way through,” Hamilton recalled on Wednesday. “It’s what international sport is about. Everybody’s all in and you’re playing for your country.”
Team Canada’s dramatic 7-6 extra-innings win might have been a little confusing even for the dedicated baseball fan. The U.S. and Canada remained tied 4-4 after nine innings, which meant an international rule kicked in that resulted in baserunners placed on first and second to start each extra inning. The rule is intended to encourage a quicker end to the games.
Both baserunners scored for the U.S. at the top of the 10th inning, but Canada came back to score three more in the bottom of the inning. Two of Canada’s runs scored on overthrows.
“That’s kind of what you see in my son’s little league,” Hamilton said. “But there’s a lot of intensity and a lot of passion. Anytime you can stand above the United States and Cuba on the podium in the sport of baseball, it’s good for Canada.”
While Hamilton is still enjoying the gold-medal victory, he’s back on the road.
Canada’s national program runs year-round and the Peterborough, Ont., native is now focused on the team headed to U18 Men’s baseball World Cup in Osaka, Japan. The junior team that will play at that tournament has already been selected, but there’s a chance a couple of the under-17 players at the Canada Cup in Saskatoon could be added if they really impress.
While there’s no pressure on Hamilton at the Canada Cup, he appreciates the importance of the tournament and praised both the organizers of the event and the fields. The success of those who played in the tournament — such as Major League Baseball stars Brett Lawrie, Russell Martin and Justin Morneau — will help secure its future in Canada, according to Hamilton.
At Friday’s Baseball Canada Cup, teams were scheduled to play deep into Friday night.
Saskatchewan ran its record to 2-0 Friday morning with a 14-0 win over Newfoundland and Labrador, and was slated to play Nova Scotia in a 10:30 p.m. game after press time. Saturday’s action begins at 8:30 a.m. and games run all day at Cairns Field and Leakos Field. Saskatchewan’s lone game is a 7 p.m. clash with Prince Edward Island. On Sunday, Saskatchewan takes on New Brunswick at 2 p.m.
Playoffs begins Sunday night, and the tournament wraps up Monday with the 7:30 p.m. championship final.