Howie Birnie being inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

Longtime TBA Secretary-Treasurer, Howie Birnie, will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 15, 2024. Birnie goes into the Hall with former Team Canada players Ashley Stephenson and Rod Heisler, former Toronto Blue Jays Russell Martin and Jimmy Key, along with Paul Godfrey, Jays president from 2000-2008.

“I was incredibly surprised to begin with, then very much humbled and grateful to be recognized for simply doing something I have loved most of my life,” said Birnie on hearing the news. “With my past connections to the Hall, I know that the list of inductees is composed of a stellar number of people who have been involved in our game in different ways. My inclusion is beyond my dreams.”

Birnie has served as president and director of Leaside Baseball for 51 years. In 2017, he was inducted into the Ontario Baseball Hall of Fame and two years later, he was elected to the Toronto Sport Hall of Honour. He continues to serve as an appointed director of the OBA and was recognized as an honorary lifetime member. He also served as TBA president from 1978 to 1985 and OBA president in 1991 and 1992.

Information on Induction Day ceremonies, which are free to attend, are available here.

For more on this year’s inductees to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, visit their website.

See story about Birnie’s induction – and a vintage photo of him in his playing days, in Leaside Life.