Jose Bautista and five others became the most recent inductees into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame when they were inducted on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Érik Bédard, former Canadian women’s baseball player Amanda Asay, Canadian baseball coach Greg Hamilton, former Canadian baseball advocate Gerry Snyder, and women’s baseball pioneer Arleene Noga joined Bautista in this year’s class. Asay, Snyder, and Noga all received the award posthumously.
Bautista, born 1980 in the Dominican Republic’s capital of Santo Domingo, had the best seasons of his 15-year Major League Baseball career with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 10 seasons in Toronto, Bautista was named to six All-Star teams, hit 288 home runs, had a .878 OPS, and hit one of the most memorable home runs in recent memory against the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the 2015 American League Division Series. He ranks first in Blue Jays history in career WAR and his name was added to the Blue Jays’ Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre on Aug. 12, 2023.
Bédard was born March 5, 1979 in Navan, Ontario, Canada. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft out of Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Conn. and made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2002. He pitched in MLB for six different teams and started 230 games over his 11 career years in the big leagues.
Asay helped Team Canada capture five medals in the Women’s World Cup during her time with the national team. She not only pitched, but played first base and was named to the All-Tournament team in her first World Cup in 2006. She debuted for the national team in 2005 and made her last appearance in 2021. Asay played both softball and women’s ice hockey for Brown University from 2007-10. She passed away at the age of 33 in 2022. Her parents, George and Loris, accepted the induction on her behalf.
Greg Hamilton played hockey and baseball at Princeton University in the late 1980s. After graduating in 1988, he transitioned to a career in coaching with stints as an assistant coach at Princeton, a pitching coach for both Team Canada and the French national team, and as head coach of the Canadian junior national team. He now serves as the director for Team Canada and continues to serve as the head coach for the junior team.
Gerry Snyder was a key piece in bringing Major League Baseball to Montreal. As a Canadian administrator and city counselor, Snyder advocated for a team in Montreal for multiple years. He met with MLB owners and executives in order to persuade them to bring Major League baseball to Canada and was a key piece in keeping the Expos in Canada for 35 years. Gerry Snyder passed away in 2007 at the age of 87. His son and daughter attended on his behalf.
Arleene Noga, also known as the “Iron Lady,” was a pioneer in Canadian women’s baseball. Noga played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Muskegon Lassies from 1945 to 1948. She played in over 300 consecutive games, earning her “Iron Lady” moniker, and helped the Lassies win the pennant in 1947. She was one of only 68 Canadian born players in the league’s history. Noga passed away in 2017 at the age of 93. Her daughter, Carol Lee Noga Scott, accepted the honor on her behalf.
This year’s class was the 43rd in the Hall’s history as the Hall was established in 1982 and inducted its first members in 1983. With this year’s ceremony, the Hall now consists of 208 inductees including groups and historical events.
Photo: Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
