Retired major league pitcher Ryan Dempster returned to the West Coast this week for his induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
Born and raised in Gibsons, Dempster, 41, had a 16-season career in the majors that included stints with the Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, the club he won a World Series with in 2013. He also represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2017.
Dempster pitched in 579 regular season games and finished his career with 132 wins, 2,075 strikeouts and 87 saves, putting him second only to the legendary Ferguson Jenkins in stats for Canadian pitchers.
The Hall of Fame’s bio note on Dempster says, “The final pitch of Ryan Dempster’s storied major league career was a ninth-inning strike to end Game 1 of the 2013 World Series with a victory for his Boston Red Sox… If you had to pick a way to go out, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better ending than that.”
Dempster told Coast Reporter this week that he was excited about the Thursday gala in Van-couver and looking forward to celebrating with friends and family.
“It’s a tremendous honour,” he said. “Being inducted into a Hall of Fame is pretty cool. You never play any game for that – you’re just playing because you love sports. And to be able to have all of this happen after I’ve done playing has been pretty humbling for me.”
Dempster said it’s great to have an institution like the BC Sports Hall of Fame where young athletes can visit and get a sense of what’s possible.
“I think it’s important for us as Canadian athletes and athletes from B.C. to share our stories… It doesn’t matter where you’re from – if you have a big enough drive and you’ve got heart and determination, you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Dempster is one of five athletes in the Class of 2018. The others are: hockey player Cliff Ronning, football player Glen Jackson, para-alpine skier Josh Duek and skier Marielle Thompson.
These days Dempster works as an analyst for the MLB Network. “I love the game of baseball. I love talking about it and being able to break it down and explain to the fans at home what a guy was trying to do,” Dempster said, adding that he likes to give viewers a sense that it’s human beings, not machines, out there playing the game.
Dempster also remains active with the Dempster Family Foundation Canada.
The foundation was originally established after Dempster’s daughter, Riley, was diagnosed with Velo-cardio-facial syndrome or 22q deletion syndrome, a genetic disorder, to help raise funds and support other families.
In the U.S. it evolved into a separate organization, the 22q Family Foundation.
“It’s incredible to see the impact Riley has had. I always say she’s done more good for people in her nine years on this earth than I’ve ever done – which is really cool,” said Dempster.
The Foundation’s annual charity golf tournament on the Sunshine Coast is coming up June 23.
