Seattle SPORTs Now 3/17

 

If you’ve watched the World Baseball Classic recently, there’s a player on the Canadian team who might seem familiar.

Phillippe Aumont from Gatineau, Quebec was a number-one draft pick of the Seattle Mariners way back in 2007 (11^th overall), the third player in Canadian history to be taken that high in the amateur draft following Adam Loewen (Baltimore) and Jeff Francis (Colorado) in 2002.

However, he never made it to the big club being dealt in one of those `we’ve got a shot to win this year’ deals in 2012. Aumont was dealt to the Phillies as part of a package for pitcher Cliff Lee, who the Mariners would soon deal away when they realized they didn’t have a shot to win that year.

Aumont pitched parts of three seasons with the Phils chalking up a less than inspiring 1-6 record. He spent time in the Tigers, White Sox and Blue Jays organizations bunt never saw action in in the major leagues after leaving Philadelphia.

Despite not having pitched in the majors since 2015 or in organized baseball since 2019, Aumont has represented Canada in the last two World Baseball Classics- 2023 and 2026, pitching against some teams comprised almost totally of major league players.

Some countries like Italy or Canada, can’t fill a squad with major leaguers like the United States, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic. Italy recruits MLB players of Italian descent- the Kansas City Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantonio had a game-winning homer for Italy- while Canada has some native sons on the squad like the Mariners’ Josh Naylor and his brother Bo, a catcher for the Cleveland Indians.

Then there’s Aumont, now 37, who left his farm in Gatineau in both 2023 and 2026 to compete against the best baseball players in the world. His 2023 appearance was noteworthy also because Aumont had broken his tailbone in a pickup hockey game only two months before the WBC.

And there was Aumont last Saturday night pitching against a USA team that included the likes of Aaron Judge, Cal Ralegh and Bobby Witt.

At 6-7, Aumont says that 6-10 Randy Johnson was the pitcher he always idolized. Johnson pitched for not only the Mariners but the Montreal Expos, the team Aumont followed growing up in Quebec.

 

The (long awaited) arrival of Bobby McMann

 

For Seattle Kraken forward Bobby McMann, his national, really international, nightmare is over. Eight days after the Kraken had acquired the 29-year-old forward from the Toronto Maple Leafs, McMann made his Seattle debut and hit the ground running.

McCann had five points in his first two games in a Kraken uniform. He scored two goals and added an assist (number-one star) in a 5-1 victory over a Vancouver Canucks team that looked like they’d packed it in for the season as they head towards a probable last place finish.

The following night, McMann made his home debut in a 6-2 win over the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. McCann had a goal and an assist and was the number-two star in the game.

``This team plays with a lot of energy,’’ McCann told the Kraken Hockey Network’s Piper Shaw after the win. ``They feed off each other and roll out four lines.’’

McMann, a native of Alberta, was traded to the Krakens on March 6, but due to what were labeled `visa problems’ didn’t make his on-ice debut until March 14. Adding to the confusion, McMann was still allowed to practice with the team. Legally he could be with the team (and in the United State while he filled out visa papers and then waited for approval.

Kraken head coach Lane Lambert stated that the delay was out of the team's control and they had to wait for the necessary immigration paperwork to be completed. Since McMann was traded on a Friday, he didn’t receive the papers to fill out until Monday and then waited for immigration approval.