Claude Lambert was born in St. Laurent, Manitoba on December 9, 1945. Lambert started playing senior ball at the age of just 14 in his hometown, which had only two senior teams at the time. Claude joined Warren in the Winnipeg Senior League later on. In seven inning games, he played one with 17 strikeouts and another with 16. Lambert was the winning pitcher in the All-Star game of 1975 over Quebec in the national junior tournament in Winnipeg. He went on to sign with the Houston Astros, and play professional baseball in places like Bradenton, Fla., Salisbury, N.C., and Lexington, Ky. Lambert pitched against the likes of Nolan Ryan while playing down south. Unfortunately, a torn rotator cuff cut Lambert’s professional career short. In 1968 he came back to Canada to play outfield with St. Lazare in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League. During this season, he won the home run crown, batting title, and was named to the all-star team. In 1969 Lambert played with Transcona, representing Manitoba at the first Canada Summer Games in Halifax. Following this season, he returned to play several years with St. Laurent, who won multiple Interlake Senior League championships during this time.
