There was a time when baseball builders in Calgary dreamed of luring big-league teams to the city.
The notion of Major League Baseball (MLB) setting up shop in Calgary at some time in the distant future seemed unlikely but not impossible.
The arrival of Triple-A ball in the form of the Pacific Coast League coming to Cowtown in 1985 bolstered this implausible idea.
Alas, with the demolition of Foothills Stadium, this is a fading dream.
But Calgary did welcome MLB teams for game action in the 1980s and 1990s.
These visits involved the parent MLB team taking the field against its top minor-league affiliate. It was a way to drum up support for the big-league club and grow fan bases in areas outside of their usual geographic footprint.
Here’s a closer look at five times major-league teams came to Calgary to play exhibition games:
MAY 6, 1985, FOOTHILLS STADIUM
Calgary baseball fans got their own PCL franchise – the Cannons – in 1985. That brought Triple-A action to the Alberta’s largest city, as well as a close look at the Seattle Mariners.
The M’s and Cannons squared off in a pre-game home run derby, which was won by Seattle 8-4. Outfielder Ivan Calderon launched six of the long balls and earned himself $600 in prize money in the process.
“I am very, very happy,” Calderon told the Calgary Herald newspaper.
“Maybe I’ll buy myself some new shoes.”
Calderon maintained a hot bat in the exhibition game, clubbing another homer in the first inning. Third baseman Jim Presley also went yard off pitcher Paul Mirabella in the opening frame. Presley added a second homer later in the game.
Bobby Cueller, the pitching coach for the Cannons, took over on the mound for Mirabella and surrendered a three-run shot to Calderon, his second blast of the contest.
“It was a fastball. Well, maybe not too fast. It was a straight ball. I guess I got a little carried away and tried to challenge him,” Cueller said of his offering to Calderon.
The Mariners jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first third of the game and ultimately held on for a 12-7 triumph.
Alvin Davis – who was nicknamed “Mr. Mariner” – was in the visitor’s dugout for the game, unable to play due to a neck injury.
Stars on the Cannons included Danny Tartabull, Darnell Coles and Pat Casey.
Foothills Stadium staff welcomed 5,796 fans – a record attendance at the time – for the Monday night game. At least one watcher climbed a tree near the stadium to catch a glimpse of the big-league festivities.
JUNE 2, 1986, FOOTHILLS STADIUM
The rematch between the Cannons and Mariners featured some familiar players swapping jerseys.
Harold Reynolds, John Moses and Danny Tartabull went from representing Calgary the previous season to suiting up for the Mariners, while Ivan Calderon and Dave Valle were sporting Cannons threads.
Tartabull hit a solo shot for Seattle, while designated hitter Gorman Thomas went 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs and three runs batted in while 5,878 spectators were on hand at Foothills Stadium.
Valle and Calderon paced the offence for the home team, with both batters producing a pair of RBI. Outfielder Mickey Brantley flashed his speed by stealing second and third base uncontested during the game.
The Cannons came out on top with an 8-7 win when the deciding run scored on a wild pitch from Pete Ladd. Had the affair gone to extra innings, coaches would have been called upon to pitch for both sides – Marty Martinez for Seattle and Ross Grimsley for Calgary.
“I love the fans here,” said Dick Williams, the manager of the Mariners, after the game.
“The home team won and I guess that’s what it’s all about.”
MAY 15, 1989, FOOTHILLS STADIUM
For just $5.50, adults were granted admission to the Cannons mid-May matchup against the Mariners and the opportunity to watch budding mega-star Ken Griffey Jr. Youth tickets for the game were a buck less than that.
Of course, Calgary fans were hoping to get a longer look at Griffey Jr. in 1989 but he skipped right past Triple-A and onto Seattle’s roster. It was a disappointment to not count the outfielder among the alumni of the Cannons, but the exhibition game at least gave baseball observers in Cowtown a glimpse of “The Kid.”
Another future Hall-of-Famer stole the show, however. Third baseman Edgar Martinez – a long-time member of the Cannons – went 2-for-2 with a homer and three RBI as a member of the Mariners. Dave Valle also went yard in Seattle’s 6-1 victory, with starting pitcher Mike Dunne logging five shutout innings in picking up the win.
Jim Lefebvre, the manager of the Mariners, got an at bat as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and was safe on a fielder’s choice.
Griffey Jr. played in centre field and went 0-for-3 at the plate. He generated plenty of buzz, nonetheless, and signed numerous souvenirs for autograph seekers among the 6,496 in attendance.
JUNE 10, 1993, FOOTHILLS STADIUM
Calgarians got another visit from Griffey Jr. and the Mariners – the fourth and final game in the exhibition series versus the Cannons – in 1993.
Junior participated in a pre-game homer competition against Dann Howitt, Greg Pirkl and Bret Boone of the Cannons. Griffey Jr. muscled one ball out of the park, while Pirkl collected five round trippers – and the prize of a gold watch – to win the derby.
During the game, Griffey Jr. blasted a two-run shot and first baseman Tino Martinez punched out a solo homer in the first inning. Greg Litton and Edgar Martinez added their own solo blasts later in the game, while shortstop Omar Vizquel went 2-for-2 to push the M’s to an 8-3 victory with manager Lou Piniella at the helm. Roger Salkeld started and went five innings for Seattle to nab the win in front of a Thursday night crowd of 7,185 spectators.
A much more engaging Griffey Jr. showed up for this trip. He even made time for an interview with Calgary Herald reporter Gyle Konotopetz.
“I’m not Barry Bonds, I’m not Willie Mays, I’m myself. I don’t imitate anybody. I was never a baseball brat trying to be someone else. I’m no role model … why not be yourself?” pondered Griffey Jr.
“I don’t trust anybody, I don’t respect anybody. Just my father (Ken Griffey Sr., the hitting coach) and my friends.”
JUNE 22, 1995, BURNS STADIUM
The Cannons rolled out the red carpet for the Pittsburgh Pirates, which provided starting pitcher Jim Gott with a return to where his pro career began.
The Californian was the opening day starter for the Calgary Cardinals of the Pioneer League in 1977, throwing the first pitch for a professional baseball team in the city’s history. That season he played for a basic version of Foothills Stadium. Gott returned to the same location to Burns Stadium, which had undergone millions of dollars of renovations over the years.
“Being here makes me realize how lucky I’ve been,” said Gott, who didn’t take the mound during his return visit.
“I was 17 with delusions of grandeur, thinking I was one pitch away from the bigs … I left my girlfriend behind, came here with her picture pinned inside my cap and my first pitch didn’t make it past the grass in front of home plate. I lost the ERA title (9.55 ERA with 83 walks in 65 innings in 14 starts) and I lost my girlfriend. I guess she saw my stats.”
Added Gott: “When I played here, we got $8.50 a day for meal money, so we’d stop the bus at a 7-Eleven, buy a loaf of bread, baloney, a six-pack of Coke, a jar of mayonnaise and use the tongue depressor from the trainer’s kit to make sandwiches. Now they’re all Westin Hotels and steak and lobster and it’s not the same. Baseball was meant to be a simple game played on dirt with dirty uniforms.”
The Thursday festivities were an afternoon affair, with the show getting started at 12:35 p.m. Ticket prices ranged from $7 to $10 and 6,406 patrons took advantage of the offer.
The pregame home run derby resulted in rookie first baseman Mark Johnson coming out on top with six dingers. Johnson beat out Pittsburgh outfielder Steve Pegues in a tiebreaker. Sam Horn connected with one home run for the Cannons.
Jim Leyland, the manager of the Pirates, put out a lineup that included shortstop Jay Bell, left fielder Al Martin and right fielder Orlando Merced, although his regular players were pulled after three innings. Strength and conditioning coach Warren Sipp was a pinch hitter for the Pirates in the seventh inning. First baseman Rich Aude hit the only homer in the game, a solo shot that was the only run the Pirates scored.
The offence of the Cannons was led by second baseman Erik Johnson (three hits, one run), outfielder Nelson Simmons (two hits, two RBI, one run), shortstop Francisco Matos (two hits, one run) and catcher Keith Osik (two hits, two RBI). Veteran infielder Dale Sveum also scored a run, as the Cannons marched to a 5-1 triumph. Starting pitcher John Hope held the Pirates scoreless over five innings to secure the win for the home side.
Related Link: https://albertadugoutstories.com/2025/03/24/putting-on-the-show.