Vancouver Canadians

Did You Know?

• On November 4, 2013, the Canadians became the first Canadian-based franchise to win the John H. Johnson President's Award, given to Minor League Baseball's top organization.
• In 2025, the Canadians set a new franchise record with an 11-game winning streak, which included sweeping the Spokane Indians for the first time since Spokane was promoted to High-A.
• On August 13, 2025, the Canadians turned their first triple play in High-A franchise history—a 1-6-3-2 play against the Spokane Indians.

History

A group led by Art Savage bought the Vancouver Canadians Triple-A team before the 1999 season, planning to move it to Sacramento, California. Even after winning the Pacific Coast League title and the Triple-A World Series, the franchise relocated to the state capital. In response, the Southern Oregon Timberjacks from the Northwest League announced they would move to Vancouver, and this Class A Short Season club took the Canadians name in 2000. Like the old team, the new one signed a player development contract with the Oakland Athletics. During that era, the roster included Nick Swisher, Jeremy Brown, Jason Windsor, Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Travis Buck, Dallas Braden, and Dan Straily.

In 2007, local businessmen Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney bought the Canadians and negotiated a 25-year lease with the Vancouver Parks Board. That offseason, a full-scale stadium renovation upgraded washrooms, concessions, concourses, and a children's play area, and point-of-purchase concessions grew significantly. Andy Dunn, a former Washington Nationals executive, became President and General Manager in January 2008. In spring 2010, the team and Scotiabank announced a long-term deal that renamed Nat Bailey Stadium to Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium.

After the 2010 season, the Canadians became the Short-Season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Attendance hit a team record of 162,162 in 2011. That September, they claimed their first Northwest League title by beating the Tri-City Dust Devils 9-2, winning the series 2-1. The next year, they became back-to-back champions for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Boise Hawks 12-9 in a 2-1 series. In August 2013, outfielder Kevin Pillar became the first team alumnus to debut in the majors for Toronto. On September 9, 2013, the Canadians became only the third Northwest League team to win three straight championships, topping the Boise Hawks 5-0 at Scotiabank Field in a 2-1 series win before a sellout crowd. That season, the team drew over 195,000 fans, a fifth straight team record that included 23 sold-out games.