The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame announced its three-person induction class of 2018 on Thursday, including former Expos pitching great Pedro Martinez, popular Blue Jays centre fielder Lloyd Moseby and noted baseball historian Bill Humber in the builders’ category. The trio will be inducted into the hall, located in St. Marys, Ont., in a ceremony to be held on June 16.

Martinez, 46, won the Cy Young Award in 1997, posting a 17-8 record with a 1.90 ERA and 305 strikeouts for the Expos. He was obtained from the Dodgers for second baseman Delino DeShields prior to the ’94 season and was 55-33 with a 3.06 ERA in four years with the Expos.

Traded to Boston after that Cy Young year — his first of three — Pedro went on to win a World Series with the Red Sox in 2004 and famously dedicated his win to the fans of Montreal, in the wake of the Expos’ move to Washington D.C.

“I had the opportunity to really tell Montreal how I felt about the team after we won, because I felt in ’94 we were going to win it,” Martinez said via conference call on Thursday. “In ’04 when I had the chance, I wanted to really express to the people in Montreal, who loved the team, how much I really wanted to bring it back to them and I wanted to share it with them.”

After his rookie season in relief for the Dodgers, he was traded. He established himself with the Expos, jump-starting his journey to Cooperstown. Montreal, he explained, was the right — and only — place for that to happen.

“At the time (in ’94), I didn’t know what to do on the streets,” Pedro explained. “I was always under (brother Ramon’s) wing and Montreal embraced me. Montreal gave me the opportunity to grow as a man and understand, really, how to walk around the streets, how to behave myself, how to take care of myself.

“I loved walking around. I had a car, but I walked around because it was so safe. Montreal helped me to become a man, because not only was I on my own, but doing it in a place where I felt really, really safe and loved by the people and embraced by the people that did not care what colour you were, what you were wearing, how much money you were making. They were out there to make you feel comfortable. So Montreal means the world to me.”

Martinez is the fifth native of the Dominican Republic to enter Canada’s hall, joining ex-Jays shortstop Tony Fernandez, 1987 American League MVP George Bell, former Expos manager Felipe Alou and former Expos outfielder Vladimir Guerrero.

“It’s very unique,” Martinez said of the relationship between Canadian fans and Dominican players. “Dominicans are really warm and charming. All us Dominicans, I believe we supply a little bit of the fire. We supply a little bit of the happiness that we bring from the Dominican and Canadians love it.”

Martinez arrived uncertain of his place with a new team, but felt comforted by the presence of Dominicans Moises Alou, Mel Rojas and especially the manager.

“I believe if I am today in the hall of fame, in any hall of fame, Felipe is one of the main reasons,” Pedro emphasized. “I got traded. I was really intimidated. I didn’t have good feedback about the way they treated the players at the time.

“But as soon as I got to spring training, before I even laid my feet on the field, Felipe pulled me into his office. He had a baseball in his hand and said, ‘You are my fourth starter from today on, and on that fourth day you’re my No. 1 starter. I don’t have anybody better than you that day, so you’re my No. 1 on the day you pitch.’ I believe I owe my career and the confidence I built to Felipe and his love and care.”

Moseby, 58, was selected second overall by the Jays in the June ’78 draft, after the Braves chose third baseman Bob Horner and just before the Mets selected shortstop Hubie Brooks. Playing centre in one of the top outfield trios in baseball in the 1980s, along with Jesse Barfield and Bell, Moseby spent 10 seasons with the Jays, slamming 149 homers and stealing 255 bases. He ranks in the Jays’ top 10 in many offensive categories. Moseby coached first base for the Jays in 1998-99 and continues his association with the organization.

Moseby had no trouble identifying his playing highlight: the 1985 season, making the playoffs after some rocky years.

“The ’85 season was tremendous,” Moseby said. “We grew up a lot. We started to believe that we were somebody, rather than nobodies. Not to be conscious or anything, but we felt the umpires and a lot of people didn’t want us to win. We had that chip on our shoulders. We carried that chip on the road. I’ll never forget, we always said on the bus, ‘Hey, they don’t like us.’ We just carried that.

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“Bobby Cox came over and really changed the whole culture. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen us go from laughingstocks of the American League to teams that didn’t want to come in and play us, so it was tremendous.”

Humber is Canada’s foremost ambassador in promoting Canadian baseball history around North America. He has been on the board of directors of the Society for American Baseball Research and has written 12 books — including Diamonds of the North: A Concise History of Baseball in Canada — and has taught a baseball course at Seneca College for 40 years.