Three Canadian-born baseball players remain in the MLB postseason, and one is from Edmonton.
Relief pitcher Erik Sabrowski is the only active MLB player from Alberta’s capital, and he’s taken on a significant role with the Cleveland Guardians this October. The Edmonton native made his MLB debut in September 2024, but has taken quite a step in the two years since.
In five postseason appearances this October, Sabrowski has allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched, but those stats are somewhat misleading. Aside from one disappointing outing in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox, where he let up two runs in just 0.2 innings, Sabrowski has been excellent.
The highlight of his playoff run so far was a rock-solid Game 5 appearance against the White Sox, when he got Cleveland out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Munetaka Murakami.
Come for Erik Sabrowski escaping the bases-loaded jam, stay for Gavin Williams' reaction in the dugout 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xqNFdYE3J3
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) October 11, 2026
That was the only batter Sabrowski faced that game, but it may have been the most important at-bat of Cleveland’s season. The strikeout helped preserve a 2-0 lead for the Guardians, who wound up winning the game by that score to advance to the ALCS.
Sabrowski also appeared in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the ALCS against Tampa Bay, where he allowed Cedric Mullins to hit a home run but retired the next three batters to keep Cleveland’s lead at 4-3. The Guardians won the series opener 7-3, putting Sabrowski just three wins away from his first World Series appearance.
It’s rare to see an Edmonton-born baseball player this deep in the MLB playoffs. Over the entire 150-year history of the major leagues, only five players from Alberta’s capital have appeared in at least one MLB game.
The other four Edmontonians to accomplish that feat are:
- Vince Barton (1931-1932)
- Dave Shipanoff (1982)
- Mike Johnson (1997-2001)
- Rob Zastryzny (2016-2025)
None of those players have ever appeared in an MLB playoff game, making Sabrowski the first Edmontonian to accomplish that. You could argue Zastryzny is the most decorated Edmonton-born pitcher, as he has a World Series ring from his time with the 2016 Chicago Cubs, but he did not appear in a single postseason game that year.