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While Canada has a long history with the game of baseball, hosting semi-professional clubs and outsourcing talent as early as the 1870s, there still have only been just over 250 players from North of the border to have played in the majors. And it wasn't until the 1960s that a superstar emerged: Ferguson "Fergie" Jenkins, from Chatham, Ontario. Growing up, Jenkins was a multi-sport athlete, taking part in baseball, hockey, basketball, and track. He got his break as a teen, meeting a local named Gene Dziadura, a former minor league shortstop and now-scout for the Phillies, who encouraged Jenkins to focus on, and helped him with, his pitching.  Unsurprisingly, the Phillies ended up signing Jenkins. But after just one season with the big league roster as a relief pitcher, he was traded to the Cubs. By Jenkins' second season in Chicago, he had reached 20 wins, held his ERA under 3.00, and was an All-Star. He would end up posting six straight 20-win seasons from 1967 to 1972. After eight years with the talented yet under-performing Cubs, Jenkins requested a trade and moved on to Texas. His first year with the Rangers was stellar, as the Canadian reached a league-best 25 wins and had a sub-3.00 ERA for the last time in his career. After that, Jenkins spent eight years hopping between Texas and Boston, before finishing his career up with the Cubs.  In 1991, Fergie Jenkins became the first Canadian player to be voted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It would take 19 more years for a second to join him. Jenkins is also remembered as one of the "Black Aces," a group of 12 Black pitchers with at least one 20-win season in the majors. The Chatham chucker is tops when it comes to that milestone, bringing seven to the table.  Love Fergie? You have to watch this amazing documentary by the National Film Board, which follows his 1972 and '73 seasons. Some incredible content!  Also, check out our new Fergie tee by 500 Level!

If you were to attach a particular saying to Cubs' great Ernie Banks, it would certainly be "let's play two" – meaning, play back-to-back ballgames in a single day. The ever-smiling, affable Banks understood how lucky major leaguers are to play a child's game for a living. Why play one game when you could play two?  The doubleheader is unique to baseball; it would not be possible with any other sport. Hockey, basketball, and football are too taxing on the body to accommodate such a schedule. Baseball's more meandering pace allows for six-plus hours of it to be played in a single day. In fairness, doubleheaders are no longer a preplanned event – they were once commonplace, but now are usually the result of poor weather (when a game is rained out it's easy to bump it over to the following day before a night start). Still, they happen a handful of times in a season and are a long haul for those involved.  Nothing helps a team grab some momentum during the regular season like taking two games in a single day. The Blue Jays did it this season against the Royals, winning the first 11-3 and then 5-4 in extras. Having your record skip forward two happy steps is like gaining an extra day while travelling; it's as if you have one up on everybody else. Losing both games of a doubleheader results in utter dejection. Kick a man while he's down, why don't you. It feels much worse to lose two in one day than it does two in two, despite it being, in reality, the same thing numbers-wise. Go on to lose the next day and get swept? There is no pill more bitter to swallow – just ask the Royals. No matter your particular allegiances as a fan – and therefore possible sorrows for being on the losing end – it's important to cherish the doubleheader when it happens. They are, as previously mentioned, more of a rarity these days. The doubleheader is a throwback to an earlier time, a time when Mr. Cub gleefully roamed the infield. Sadly, Ernie is no longer with us, but his memory comes calling back every time two games are played in a single day. The hot summer sun coming down on the Wrigley Field bleachers. Cold beer and ice cream. You buy one ticket and spend a full day at the park, nowhere else to be and nothing to worry about except getting a W. Yep, let's play two.