North Vancouver slugger Derek Mayson ended his world-class softball career with a bang.
Three bangs, in fact.
The 38-year-old third baseman hit three home runs in nine games, tied for the most in the tournament, to help Team Canada earn silver at the WSBC Men’s Softball World Cup held Nov. 26-Dec. 4 in New Zealand.
Canada went 5-0 in opening round play before knocking off the United States and Cuba in the Super Round to earn a spot in the World Cup final. Their run for gold ended with a 5-2 loss against Australia in the championship game.
“I’m really proud of how our team prepared for and played at the World Cup,” Mayson told the North Shore News after the tournament. “Although we’re disappointed we didn’t come home with the gold, looking back, second in the world is still a massive accomplishment.”
In four previous World Cups (called the World Championships until 2015), Mayson won gold in 2015 and bronze in 2009, 2017 and 2019. Mayson also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games.
In this year’s World Cup, Mayson’s total of three home runs included a pair of bombs in a 6-0 opening round win over the eventual champions from Australia.
🇨🇦 Derek Mayson does it again 🔥🔥🔥
— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) November 29, 2022
📺 LIVE Streaminghttps://t.co/1hIixsnLKh#MensSoftballWC pic.twitter.com/VCXjJpXRF3
Mayson also registered a .296 batting average while collecting eight runs batted in, the sixth-highest total in the tournament.
Before the tournament began, Mayson announced that this would be his final World Cup.
“It’s a bit of a weird feeling knowing I’ve played my last game in a Canada jersey, as it’s been a major part of my life for the past 17 years,” he said. “However, I got to say my ‘goodbyes’ to friends from the team and around the world, and I’m really happy for that.”
