The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario.
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 |
| Commissioner | Ted Kalnins |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Barrie Baycats (8th title) |
| Most titles | Brantford Red Sox (15) |
| Official website | theibl.ca |
The league was formed in 1919 and has enjoyed much success over its long history.[1] Teams are run similar to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions, using wooden bats and minor league specification baseballs. Teams play 42 scheduled games from early May to late-August. The playoffs are best-of-five series with the championship series typically played around Labour Day. The most recent champions are the Barrie Baycats who defeated the Guelph Royals 4-0 in the 2024 Dominico Cup Final.
History
editThe Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) was founded in 1919 with just four cities represented — Galt, Guelph, Stratford and Kitchener, and is the oldest amateur men's league in Canada.[2] During the early years, the league expanded to include the cities of Waterloo, Brantford, Preston, London, and St. Thomas.
It was previously known as the Intercounty Major Baseball League and the Senior Intercounty Baseball League. Teams compete for the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy, which is awarded to the league champions. The trophy is named for the late owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, husband and wife Jack and Lynne Dominico.
All-Star Game
editOn July 8, 2006, in Barrie, the league's New Era IBL All-Star Classic game between the Barrie Baycats and the IBL All-Stars; Barrie won 7–2.
On August 21 and 22, 2010 in Ottawa, the Fat Cats hosted the New Era All-Star Classic between the IBL All-Stars and the All-Stars from Ligue de Baseball Senior Élite du Québec (LBSEQ).[3]
Barrie hosted the league's All-Star Game on July 11, 2015, with the IBL All-Stars defeating Barrie Baycats 13–4.
Following a several-year hiatus the IBL announced they will be hosting a mid summer classic on July 20, 2024 in Welland.[4]
Teams
edit| Intercounty Baseball League | ||||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | 2024
Record |
Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Baycats | Barrie | Vintage Throne Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex | 1,500 | 2001 | 27-15 | 2nd |
| Brantford Red Sox | Brantford | Arnold Anderson Stadium | 2,000 | 1911 | 11-31 | 9th |
| Chatham-Kent Barnstormers | Chatham | Fergie Jenkins Field at Rotary Park | 1.100 | 2024 | 20-22 | 5th |
| Guelph Royals | Guelph | David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park | 1,400 | 1919 | 24-18 | 4th |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton | CARSTAR Field at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 3,000 | 1953 | 18-24 | 6th |
| Kitchener Panthers | Kitchener | Jack Couch Baseball Park | 1,400 | 1919 | 14-28 | 8th |
| London Majors | London | Labatt Memorial Park | 5,200 | 1925 | 26-16 | 3rd |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto | Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park | 1,000 | 1969 | 17-25 | 7th |
| Welland Jackfish | Welland | Welland Stadium | 3,375 | 2018 | 32-10 | 1st |
Source:[5]
Map of teams
edit
Past teams
edit| Former Intercounty Baseball League Teams | |||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Folded/Moved | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington Herd | Burlington | Nelson Park | 2016 | 2018; moved to Welland and renamed Welland Jackfish | |
| Burlington Bandits | Burlington | Nelson Park | 2012 | 2016; renamed Burlington Herd | |
| Burlington Twins | Burlington | Nelson Park | 2011 | 2012; renamed Burlington Bandits | |
| Galt/Cambridge Terriers | Galt | Dickson Park baseball field | 1919 | 1984 | |
| Guelph C-Joys | Guelph | Exhibition Park | 1964 | renamed Guelph Royals | |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 1958 | 2005; renamed Hamilton Thunderbirds | |
| Hamilton Thunderbirds | Hamilton | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 2005 | 2012; renamed Hamilton Cardinals | |
| Kitchener Dutchmen | Kitchener | Jack Couch Stadium, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex | 1957 | renamed Kitchener Panthers | |
| Kitchener Legionnaires | Kitchener | Victoria Park | 1957 | renamed Kitchener Dutchmen | |
| Kraven Knits | Stratford | National Stadium | 1974 | 1976; renamed Stratford Hillers | |
| Listowel Legionnaires | Listowel | John Bell – Listowel Memorial Park | 1957 | 1969 | |
| London Avcos | London | Labatt Park | 1970 | 1974; renamed London El-Morocco Majors | |
| London Chester Pegg Diamonds | London | Labatt Park | 1960 | 1963; renamed London Majors | |
| London El-Morocco Majors | London | Labatt Park | 1974 | 1975; renamed London Majors | |
| London Pontiacs | London | Labatt Park | 1964 | 1970; renamed London Avcos | |
| Mississauga Twins | Mississauga | Meadowvale Baseball Complex | 2009 | 2011; moved to Burlington as Burlington Twins | |
| Niagara Falls Mariners | Niagara Falls | Oakes Park | 1985 | 1989 | |
| Oakville Oaks | Oakville | 1956 | 1958 | ||
| Oshawa Dodgers | Oshawa | Kinsmen Stadium | 2002 | 2009 | |
| Ottawa Fat Cats | Ottawa | Ottawa Baseball Stadium | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Preston Riversides | Preston | Riverside Park | 1920 | ||
| St. Thomas Elgins | St. Thomas | Emslie Field, Pinafore Park | 1948 as the Legion until 1953 | 1961; re-emerged in 1976 and folded again in 1996 | |
| St. Thomas Storm | St. Thomas | Emslie Field, Pinafore Park | 2000 | Moved to Stratford in 2004 | |
| Stratford Hillers | Stratford | National Stadium | 1976 | ||
| Stratford Nationals | Stratford | National Stadium | 2006 | 2008; moved to Mississauga as Mississauga Twins | |
| Stratford Storm | Stratford | National Stadium | 2004 | 2006; renamed Stratford Nationals | |
| Strathroy Royals | Strathroy | 1938 |
|||
| Waterloo Tigers | Waterloo | Bechtel Park Ball Stadium | 2000 | 2003 | |
| Windsor Chiefs | Windsor | Mic Mac Park | 1979; 1969 in the Essex County Senior League | 1981; left for Detroit Federal League in 1982 | |
Champions
editThe winning team is awarded the Jack and Lynne Dominico Cup.
Other awards presented include:
- Rawlings IBL Player of the Year Award/John Bell Memorial Trophy
- IBL Rookie of the Year/Brian Kerr Memorial Trophy
Notable players
edit- John Axford (Brantford Red Sox) – Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays
- Don Beaupre (Waterloo Tigers) – Minnesota North Stars
- Todd Betts (Barrie Baycats) - Yakult Swallows
- Tom Burgess
- Rich Butler (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
- Rob Butler (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies
- Frank Colman† (London Majors) – Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees
- Scott Diamond (Guelph Royals) – Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays
- Rob Ducey† (Cambridge) Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, California Angels, Texas Rangers, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos
- Wilmer Fields (Brantford Red Sox) 1939–50 – Homestead Grays
- Mike Gardiner (Stratford Hillers) Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners 1990–1995
- Ferguson Jenkins† (London Majors) Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox (1991 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee)
- Mike Kilkenny (London Majors) – Detroit Tigers
- Joe Krakauskas (Brantford Red Sox) 1937–46 – Washington Senators & Cleveland Indians
- Larry Landreth (Stratford Hillers) – Montreal Expos
- Lester Lockett (Kitchener) – Baltimore Elite Giants
- Roy McKay (London Majors) – Detroit Tigers
- Denny McLain (London Majors) – Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves
- Jesse Orosco (Galt Terriers) – New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins
- Pete Orr (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies
- Lester B. Pearson† (Guelph Maple Leafs) – Prime Minister of Canada (22 April 1963 – 20 April 1968)
- Dalton Pompey (Guelph Royals) - Toronto Blue Jays
- Goody Rosen† (Galt Terriers) – Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants
- Dave Rozema (London Majors) – Detroit Tigers
- Chris Speier (Stratford) – San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs & Montreal Expos
- Paul Spoljaric (Toronto Maple Leafs, Barrie Baycats) – Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals
- Ron Stead† (Brantford Red Sox) – 1967 Pan American Games
- Fred Thomas† (Kitchener Panthers) – Wilkes-Barre Barons, Cincinnati Crescents (basketball), Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
- Rob Thomson† (Stratford Hillers) – Detroit Tigers
- Scott Thorman (Brantford Red Sox) – Atlanta Braves
- Jimmy Wilkes (Brantford Red Sox) – Negro leagues: Newark Eagles, Houston Eagles, Indianapolis Clowns
† Player is an inductee of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Notable executives
edit- Bob Ferguson, league statistician (1958 to 1966) and owner of the London Pontiacs (1963 to 1964)[6]
References
edit- Intercounty Major Baseball League's 1998 Record Book by Editor Herb Morell and Dominico Promotions Inc.
- ^ "An Intercounty Baseball League Primer". Mop-Up Duty. 14 June 2010.
- ^ "IBL signs lease for Ottawa Stadium". Ballpark Digest. 18 March 2010.
- ^ "New Era All-Star Classic, Intercounty Baseball League". Ottawa Citizen. 21 August 2010.
- ^ "Welland Jackfish to Host 2024 IBL All-Star Showdown - Classic 1220AM CFAJ Radio". Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Standings: IBL 2021". theibl.ca. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ Boughner, Barry (2021). "London Majors' History 1925–2021". London Majors' Alumni Association. Retrieved November 15, 2021.