Classic new high for Onyshko

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This article was published 27/02/2023 (984 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The World Baseball Classic is the tallest mountain some players climb. It won’t be long before Ben Onyshko helps Team Canada try to reach its peak.

The Winnipeg product was added to Canada’s roster on Thursday, mere days before the global baseball tournament takes place (March 8-21). The left-handed reliever replaced Victoria product Nick Pivetta, becoming the second Manitoban ever to make the WBC roster.

Anola’s Corey Koskie represented Canada twice (2006, 2009).

“With the exception of pitching in the big leagues, I think this is the pinnacle of baseball accomplishments that I could have,” Onyshko, 26, told the Free Press recently. “I was lucky enough to pitch with Team Canada as a part of the Olympic qualifier (in 2021), and that was probably the pinnacle of my baseball career at that point.

“Definitely something that I’ve hoped for and worked for, for years and years. I remember watching the World Baseball Classic when I was a kid, hoping I’d be here one day.”

Pool play will begin across the globe on March 8, with pools A and B playing in Tokyo and Taiwan, respectively, while Pool C competes in Phoenix and teams in Pool D play in Miami.

Onyshko won’t have to travel far to represent his homeland. He’s been in Peoria, Ariz., since Feb. 14 when he reported for mini-camp with the Seattle Mariners. A 30-minute drive south will take him to Phoenix, where Canada will look to finish in the top two among USA, Mexico, Columbia and Great Britain.

Canada opens its tournament Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m. against the U.K.

“I talked to (the Mariners) about it (after being invited to play), thinking there could be a little bit of hesitancy. They told me, ‘You have to go. We’re not going to let you not go,’” Onyshko said.

Indeed, the opportunity that awaits Onyshko in Phoenix is deeper than realizing a lifelong dream. It’s a chance for him to shine when the lights are brightest, against the best in the world.

As a southpaw reliever — a coveted service in the MLB — Onyshko has already jumped much of the line in the Mariners’ pipeline. Showing he can go toe-to-toe with some of baseball’s best could put him on the fast track to the big leagues.

“(It will be) a really fun tournament to play in, and the main reason, in my opinion, is because nothing other than winning matters,” Onyshko said. “That kind of atmosphere is everyone’s favourite to play in, in baseball.

“In the minor leagues, of course winning is still at the forefront, but the reality is, your main competition is with your teammates.”

Onyshko has battled in the Mariners’ pipeline since being drafted in 2018. While he worked his way to a cup of coffee with Triple-A Tacoma (one step below MLB), he settled with Double-A Arkansas in 2022.

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Of course, his goal of the major leagues has yet to be realized, but the southpaw has embraced the grind that comes with making it big. That includes bearing the weight of his home province, which will surely appreciate rooting for a homegrown product in the WBC again.

“All the Baseball Canada events that I’ve played in, Manitoba doesn’t traditionally have quite as many guys at that level and it’s something that I’m really proud of. The majority of my success, I can put on a lot of those coaches and role models that I had in Winnipeg growing up,” Onyshko said.

“I wouldn’t be playing baseball today if it weren’t for a lot of the great people that surrounded me when I was a kid growing up in Winnipeg.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam

Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.