Matt Stairs

February 27, 1968

Matt Stairs

(Photo;nbsportshalloffame)

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Growing up in Fredericton, Stairs showed athletic ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age eligibility; he also excelled in hockey. After playing Bantam & Midget baseball, at age 16 and 17, he played for the local Marysville Royals of the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League and was voted "Rookie of The Year" in 1984 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 1985. He was also named Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League MVP in 1987 and '88 while playing for the Fredericton Schooners.

He attended the National Baseball Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia for one year and played for Canada at the 1987 World Amateur Championships in Italy where he was named to the "World All-Star" team. In 1988, he joined the Canadian Junior National team after graduating from Fredericton High School. From there he went on to play for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

On January 17, 1989, Stairs was signed as an international free agent by the Montreal Expos. In his career, Stairs played for more teams than any position player in MLB history. He played for franchises, but technically 13 teams, as he played for both the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals.

He was the second Canadian-born player ever to hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season, and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories for Canadian major leaguers. Stairs also holds the all-time MLB record of home runs hit as a pinch-hitter with 23. His ability to pinch hit made him a valuable asset to several teams and earned him the nickname "Matt Stairs – Professional Hitter". Stairs, Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay and Joey Votto are the only Canadian MLB players to hit at least 200 career home runs.

On August 30, 2008, Stairs was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Stairs hit his first career postseason home run on October 13, 2008 in Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers off Jonathan Broxton, allowing the Phillies to take the lead and win the game. He won the first World Series ring of his 16-year career on October 29, 2008, when the Phillies won the series against the Rays, 4 games to 1. During his time with the team, T-shirts were marketed which touched on Stairs' pinch-hitting prowess in clutch situations. They used a warning which can be found in many elevators: "In Case of Emergency, Use Stairs."

On June 9, 2012, Stairs was elected to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.

On February 4, 2015, Stairs was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

In November 2016, he was hired by the Philadelphia Phillies to be their hitting coach.

On November 21, 2016, Stairs was among those nominated and placed on the ballot for the 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame.

(Photo;reddit.com)