Hazel Mae

Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2025 Jack Graney Award. 

The St. Marys, Ont.-based shrine presents this award annually to a member of the media who has made significant contributions to baseball in Canada through their life’s work. 

“Hazel Mae has set the bar extremely high for Major League Baseball’s in-game reporters,” said Scott Crawford, the director of operations at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. “For many years, her in-depth player interviews and in-game insights have often been the highlight of Sportsnet’s Blue Jays coverage, but her impact on baseball in Canada reaches far beyond her work on the field. She has been a tremendous ambassador for baseball across the country.” said Scott Crawford, the director of operations at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum.  

Born in the Philippines, Mae grew up in Toronto and got her start in sports journalism at the campus radio station at York University.  

Her professional career in the Toronto sports media began in 2001 when she was hired to anchor the morning edition of Sportsnet Central and was the host of Jzone, a weekly show devoted to the Blue Jays. 

Prior to the 2004 season, she accepted a position in Boston as the lead anchor on the New England Sports Network’s (NESN) Sportsnet desk. She also hosted The Ultimate Red Sox Show, which was NESN’s weekly Red Sox show and was part of the Sox broadcast team in 2004 when they captured their first World Series in 86 years. 

In 2008, Mae was the first on-air talent hired by the MLB Network where she worked on the Emmy Award-winning studio show MLB Tonight and hosted a program called Quick Pitch, while also working as a sideline reporter for Thursday Night Baseball. 

In September 2011, she returned to Sportsnet to anchor the 6 p.m. edition of Sportsnet Central. Four years later, she began her current job as in-game reporter during Toronto Blue Jays telecasts. She also serves as guest host of Blue Jays Central throughout the season and has become the go-to reporter for in-depth interviews for Sportsnet’s Blue Jays coverage. 

In recent years, she has also worked for TBS as an in-game reporter during the post-season. 

Over the years, she has also generously lent her talent to numerous charitable events across the country as an emcee. 

“Thank you to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors and selection committee. Joining the distinguished group of Jack Graney Award winners leaves me feeling deeply humbled and profoundly grateful. This group includes incredible writers, broadcasters and storytellers whom I have long admired, been inspired by, and proudly call colleagues and friends. While each of us reached this milestone through our own very unique path, we all share a common passion and unwavering love for the game, and for this great country. Words cannot begin to express how honoured I am by this recognition.” Hazel Mae

Details about the presentation of the 2025 Jack Graney Award will be announced in the coming months. 

Also, check out the great interview Hazel gave on Breakfast Television on Wednesday morning after the announcement: https://www.breakfasttelevision.ca/videos/sportsnets-hazel-mae-just-won-the-canadian-baseball-hall-of-fames-jack-graney-award/

Born in St. Thomas, Ont., Jack Graney was a scrappy leadoff hitter in the big leagues for Cleveland. His big league resume boasts a number of firsts. When he walked to the plate in a game against the Boston Red Sox on July 11, 1914, he became the first batter to face Babe Ruth. Almost two years later, on June 26, 1916, he was the first major leaguer to bat wearing a number on his uniform. After hanging up his spikes, Graney became the first ex-player to make the transition to the broadcast booth, performing radio play-by-play for Cleveland from 1932 to 1953.