Dodger bench coach Tim Wallach will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 21 in St. Marys, Ontario, it was announced today.
“I’m both surprised and honored to be selected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Wallach. “What a great thrill to be going in with such integral parts of the Montreal Expos for such a long time, and to join many of my old teammates and manager, along with so many people that meant so much to Canadian baseball. This is a great honor for my family and myself.”
Wallach is the Expos’ all-time leader in several statistical categories, including games played (1,767), hits (1,694), doubles (360), RBI (905) and total bases (2,728). Nicknamed “Eli” by his teammates, Wallach also ranks third all-time amongst Expos in runs (737) and fourth in home runs (204).
Chosen 10th overall by the Expos in the 1979 amateur draft, Wallach began his big league career as an outfielder before evolving into the best third baseman in the franchise’s history. In 13 seasons with the Expos from 1980 to 1992, Wallach was selected to five all-star games (1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990), won three Gold Gloves (1985, 1988, 1990) and captured two Silver Slugger Awards (1985, 1987). He was also named to the Topps All-Star Rookie team in 1981, topped the National League in doubles in 1987 and 1989 and finished fourth in National League MVP voting in 1987.
Wallach spent the final four seasons of his 17-year big league career in Los Angeles with the Dodgers and the Angels. Since retiring as a player, the long-time Expo has become a highly regarded coach at both the professional and collegiate levels. In recent years, Wallach has been inducted into the Cal State Fullerton (his alma mater) Titan Athletics Hall of Fame (2005) and the College Baseball Hall of Fame (2011).
The induction ceremony will be part of a festival of events that will also include a celebrity slo-pitch game and home run derby, a London Salutes Canadian Baseball breakfast, the Hall’s 18th annual celebrity golf tournament and a Toronto Blue Jays Honda Super Camp for kids.
(Article courtesy of the Dodgers PR Department)
Congratulations Tim, an honor well deserved !! Hope to see you in town to tell you in person !!
Because of a generation gap not many fans today realize just how very good Tim Wallach was as a player. The good news is that most of them do realize how good of a coach he is – as do his players.
I’m willing to bet that 2014 will be Tim’s one and only season as the Dodgers bench coach, as he will be managing in the MLB next season.
I watched him play a lot with the Expos. He was a good player. He joins former Dodgers Gary Carter, Paul Quantrill and Jackie Robinson in the CBHOF. Tommy Lasorda is also a member.
Congrats to Wallach.