St. John’s is host this weekend to a major baseball tournament involving 46 teams in eleven divisions.

The 3rd annual Mike Buist Classic is named after the former Executive Director of the St. John’s Minor A Baseball Association.

Buist, originally from Hamilton, Ontario, started playing baseball as a child and eventually signed a professional contract in 1963 at the age of 16.

He started his career with the Mets and then moved on to the Cardinals. He settled in Ontario but eventually moved to Newfoundland where he continued to play baseball while working in the education and tourism fields.

He became Executive Director of the St. John’s Minor Baseball Association in 2013 and was awarded the Les Noseworthy Award by Baseball NL in 2019 for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development in the sport.

He passed away in August of 2019. A full list of scheduled games can be found online.