Canadians shine in Braves vs Padres pitching duel

It was an all-Canadian pitching matchup in San Diego on Sunday afternoon, and both starters from North of the border put on a scoreless show.

Calgary’s Mike Soroka made the start for the Atlanta Braves, while Port Hope native Cal Quantrill took to the mound for the San Diego Padres.

An All-Star selection this year, Soroka threw a career high nine strikeouts, scattering six hits over seven scoreless innings. Quantrill threw six scoreless of his own, allowing just three hits.

There was an opportunity for tension between the two in the third inning when Soroka was hit by a Quantrill pitch, but he stayed in the game and neither man felt the need to drop the proverbial gloves.

It was the first Canadian vs Canadian pitching matchup in the major leagues since Ryan Dempster faced Scott Diamond in May 2013.

The Canadian content kept on coming throughout the game, with Mississauga native Josh Naylor collecting three hits and a run batted in while starting in left field for the Padres. If that wasn’t enough, Braves first baseman and dual Canadian-American citizen Freddie Freeman broke the game open with a three-run home run in the 8th inning, helping Atlanta pick up a 4-1 win.

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