Vancouver Connection: Dorothy Stratten and World Series winner Ned Yost

Last night (November 1), Kansas City Royals skipper Ned Yost led his team to baseball’s greatest prize: a World Series victory.

Many years ago, Yost was a journeyman catcher for the Vancouver Canadians, back when they were the Triple-A farm team for the Milwaukee Brewers. Playing more than 200 games for the Cs, Yost hit .309 in 1980, and boasted a fielding average of .977—numbers which saw him called up to the Brewers to begin a long career as both a major-league player and a manager. 

But before his abilities took him to the big leagues, Yost got to be half of one of Vancouver’s most notable batteries.

One warm Saturday night in July 1979, Yost was catching when Vancouver born-and-bred Dorothy Stratten, a newly-minted Playboy playmate, came to Nat Bailey Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. While there’s no record of the 19-year-old Stratten’s throwing ability, Yost clearly approved—in an old Canadians’ program, there’s a photo of him planting a big kiss on her cheek following her pitch. 

Stratten, of course, would later become Playmate of the year and make the jump to acting, appearing in episodic TV and the movies Galaxina and They All Laughed.

Drawing on her immense local popularity, the Canadians ran a picture of Stratten on the cover of its program the following summer as her fame really began to take off.

Tragically, on August 14, 1980—just weeks later—Stratten was shot and killed by her estranged husband.