Londoner, Paul Quantrill -Major League Baseball Pitcher From 1992 to 2005
To Be Inducted in Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, June 19th, 2005 at Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame, St. Mary's Ontario. (1/2 hr. from London)
You Can Attend the Ceremonies, FREE - Meet Fellow Inductee, Roberto Alomar
Ceremonies: Saturday, June 19th St. Mary's Ontario
at Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Everyone Welcome
Bring the Whole Family!
“Baseball has been a huge and wonderful part of my family’s life, so getting the call from St. Marys created a lot of excitement around our home,” said Quantrill from his residence in Port Hope, Ontario.
“The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame represents a community that has a true love and respect for our game. I hope my genuine enthusiasm and passion for a kid’s game reflects well on the Hall. Thank you for the tremendous honour of representing our baseball community, and we can’t wait to be in St. Marys with Robbie and representatives from the Griffith and Roth families this coming June.”
Quantrill, born November 3, 1968 in London, Ontario attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was originally drafted in the 26th round in 1986 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then again by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round in 1989. The rubber-armed right-hander’s first appearance was with the Red Sox on July 20, 1992, and his final game was on September 27, 2005 with the Florida Marlins. In between, he played for Philadelphia, Toronto (his longest stint with one team, from 1996-2001), Los Angeles, the New York Yankees, and San Diego.
Quantrill even toed the rubber for Team Canada during the 2006 inaugural World Baseball Classic. He also coached Team Canada in the 2009 WBC along with 2009-CBHFM-inductees Ernie Whitt, Larry Walker and Bernie Soulliere, and assisted Greg Hamilton with the Canadian Junior National Team as well.
Known for his spot location and nasty sinkerball, Quantrill appeared in 386 games with the Blue Jays from 1996-2001 (4th overall), where he won 30 games and saved 15, compiling a 3.67 ERA. 64 of his career 841 appearances were starts, and the majority of the rest were middle and late-game relief. He chalked up 68 wins, 21 saves, and a 3.83 ERA over his 14-year career, striking out 725 over 1,255 innings.
“Q”, as he is known by friends and teammates, was the Blue Jays Pitcher of the Year in 2001 and was named to the All-Star team. He led the American League in games pitched that season with 80, and his .846 winning percentage that season (11 wins, 2 losses) represented the second highest in Blue Jays history. He also led the AL in appearances in 2004 with 86, and led the National League in appearances in 2002 (86) and 2003 (89). He led the AL in “Holds” with 32 in 2002. Both his 841 career appearances and 89 game appearances in the 2003 season are Canadian records.
Quantrill’s only complete game happened to be a shutout, when the Red Sox rookie allowed only a single by Jay Buhner and a double by Mackey Sasser, both in the second inning, as he went on to strike out six in blanking the Seattle Mariners 6-0 on July 4, 1993.
Quantrill has been married to his wife Alyson for 16 years, and they have a son Cal (14) and two daughters, Reese (12) and Avery (8).
