MATT STAIRS, BASEBALL PLAYER

• Type: Athlete
• Sport(s): Baseball
• Year: 2016

MATT STAIRS, BASEBALL PLAYER

Matt Stairs, a native of Saint John, N.B., honed his baseball skills in Fredericton and after a stellar minor career played 19 seasons in the major leagues from 1992 to 2011. Even as a youngster, he was destined for stardom. In 1984, as a boy playing against men, he won the Rookie of the Year as a 16 year old in the N.B. Senior Baseball League. The following year, as a 17 year old, he won the league’s MVP award. When his Fredericton Royals became part of the N.S. Senior Baseball League in 1987, he won back-to-back MVP awards in that circuit. At this time he began to catch the eye of major league scouts.

In 1987 he played in the World Amateur Baseball Championship and was named to the World All-Star team. The following year he played for the Canadian Junior National team and the Canadian Olympic team in Seoul, South Korea. Following his success at these levels, he signed in 1989 with the Montreal Expos, a team for whom he played 19 games in 1992 and 93. He played 19 seasons in the major leagues, from 1992 to 2011, filling varying roles for 13 different teams. His most memorable moment was as a member of the World Series champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, in 2009. His importance to the Phillies, especially in his role as a pinch-hitter, was captured in t-shirts that were prominently worn in the city and they read: “In case of emergency, use Stairs.”

Considered one of the game’s greatest clutch hitters he hit 23 pinch-hit home runs in his career, a record that still stands today. He played in 1,895 games, had 1,366 hits, 265 of which were home runs.

His love of the game was evident even after his retirement from major league baseball. He fulfilled his promise to return to Fredericton to play for the Royals and did so for two years in the N.B. Senior League and is contemplating suiting up for the Royals as they host the Canadian Senior Baseball Championship this August. As players and fans drive to the Royals Field in Marysville, they will travel on Matt Stairs’ Way, a testament to the high regard in which Matt Stairs is held. Upon his retirement in 2011, he became part of the NESN broadcast team, as a Boston Red Sox studio analyst. In 2014 he returned to Philadelphia as the Phillies’ colour analyst and is currently their play-by-play commentator.

Few people know of Matt’s ability as a hockey player but he was a star in that sport too. In 2012 he took on the job as head coach of the Fredericton High School hockey team, in what he called “his dream job”.

He was inducted into the New Brunswick Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.