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King Weekly Sentinel https://kingsentinel.com/?p=6441 Export date: Tue Nov 26 8:46:02 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Canadian baseball hero has roots in King Richmond Hill's Peter Orr (right) scores the game-winning run under the tag of United States catcher Thomas Murphy's in the 10th inning of the gold medal baseball game at the Pan Am Games. By Jake Courtepatte It was a moment every "boy of summer" dreams about. Down two runs and down to its final two outs in the 10th inning, the Canadian Pan Am baseball team was in danger of failing to defend their gold medal to the rival United States team. With runners on first and second, a single by Peter Orr, hailing from Newmarket, brought the Canadian team within one. His eventual dash from first base to home plate would be the biggest few seconds of his life. On the next batter, USA's pitcher David Huff tried to make a sneaky pickoff of Orr at first, a wild throw that hit the fence in foul territory. Skyler Stromsoe was waved home from second, and with the third-base coach's arm waving wildly, Orr was sent around third as well towards home. The ball beat him to the plate, but a strong head-first slide sent it out of the catcher's mitt and gave the Canadians a thrilling 7 – 6 victory. The wild moment was capped off with a victory cry from Orr, still on his knees. This certainly brought excitement to the whole crowd, with fans from both America and Canada waving their respective mlb flags 1 in support of the amazing play that just took place in front of them. "I'm still confused about how it all ended," joked Orr. "It probably hasn't fully sunk in yet." A mostly career minor-leaguer with the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, and now Milwaukee Brewers organizations, Orr attended Newmarket High School before moving down to Texas to play college ball. His roots, however, remained grounded in York Region. His grandparents Gordon and Mary Orr lived in King City for decades, while Mary's sister had another athletic connection in the bloodline. She was the grandmother of Nick Boynton, who brought the Stanley Cup to Nobleton after the Chicago Blackhawks won it in 2010. Orr's father Don still lives in the area, while his uncle Ken runs an insurance firm in King City and Schomberg. "Mostly my entire family lives around the King area there," said Orr. "It's a beautiful area. The proximity to Toronto made the whole experience that much better for me." Around 40 family members and friends were at the semi-final match up with Puerto Rico, in which Canada won handily 7-1. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out for the gold medal game with the USA, so most had to settle watching from outside the stadium. Orr said he appreciates any support he gets and welcomes it all. "The support I received was just unbelievable. Everyone has been congratulating me, texting me, calling me ... all that is what really makes a moment like that worthwhile." The last time Orr played in front of a Canadian crowd was at the World Baseball Classic in 2009. Although he has played over 400 games in the majors over his 10-year career, he was never called up from the minors during a visit to the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB's only Canadian team. "It's been so long since all my family and friends have been able to watch me play, and for that I'm pretty grateful." At 36 years old, the gold medal moment is a nice cap to Orr's golden years of professional baseball. As for his future, he wants to stay in the game, whether at a coaching or front office level. |
| Excerpt: It was a moment every “boy of summer” dreams about. Down two runs and down to its final two outs in the 10th inning, the Canadian Pan Am baseball team was in danger of failing to defend their gold medal to the rival United States team. With runners on first and second, a single by Peter Orr, hailing from Newmarket, brought the Canadian team within one. |
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Post date: 2015-08-04 16:04:46 Post date GMT: 2015-08-04 20:04:46 Post modified date: 2015-09-09 09:52:50 Post modified date GMT: 2015-09-09 13:52:50 |
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