Matt Stairs |
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Matthew Wade Stairs (born February 27, 1968 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada) is a Major League Baseball outfielder who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He married Lisa Astle of Fredericton with whom he has three daughters, Nicole, Alicia and Chandler. In the off-season, he lives in Bangor, Maine, where he previously coached hockey for John Bapst Memorial High School, a private high school. However, he will now coach hockey for the Bangor High School team, probably due to the fact that Bangor High is where his daughters attend high school.
He is only the second Canadian-born player to ever hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories of any Canadian to ever play in the Major Leagues. As of September 11, 2009, Stairs ranks first among active players in pinch-hit home runs with 19, including five in the current season. Stairs and Larry Walker are the only Canadian MLB players to hit more than 250 career home runs.
Growing up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Stairs showed athletic ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age eligibility and excelling in hockey. After Bantam & Midget baseball, at age 16 and 17 he played for the local Marysville Royals of the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League, where he was voted "Rookie of The Year" in 1984 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 1985. He was also named Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League MVP in 1987 and '88 playing for the Fredericton Schooners.