Today in the Ontario Legislature, Cambridge MPP Rob Leone was pleased to deliver a Member’s Statement in honour of Cambridge’s most accomplished baseball player, Rob Ducey.
Ducey will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Mary’s, Ontario on June 29th of this year.
“He’s a great role model to have,” said Leone. “When I was growing up in Cambridge, I was fortunate enough to see someone from my hometown playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. Now future generations will see him in the Hall of Fame.”
Ducey spent 13 seasons in the Majors and split time with both Canadian teams: the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays. In the process, he became the first Canuck to play for both professional clubs north of the border.
He took his talents to Japan in 1995 and 1996, belting 51 home runs during a stint with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Pacific League. He twice represented Canada at the Summer Olympics: once as a player, once as a coach.
“Playing 13 years in the majors is a tremendous accomplishment on its own,” continued Leone, “but add Canadian Olympian to that title and you really start to realize that Rob is a special athlete.”
Ducey will take his rightful place in a ceremony alongside George Bell, Tim Raines, and long-time Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek.
“It’s a well-deserved honour for the best ball player to come out of Cambridge and we are so proud to share him with the rest of Canada,” concluded Leone.
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