Intercounty Baseball League
Current season, competition or edition: | |
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Barrie Baycats (2017) |
| Most titles | Brantford Red Sox (15) |
| Official website | theibl.ca |
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian independent baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. Players are not paid, so as to maintain the players' NCAA eligibility.
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 36 games scheduled over an 85-day season running from early May to late-July. The playoffs are best-of-seven series with the Championship series typically played around Labour Day.
The teams are located in Southern Ontario, but once had a team in Ottawa.
History
The 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 Jack Dominico, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team and his late wife Lynne.
All-Star Game
On 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.
Teams
| Intercounty Baseball League | ||||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | 2017 Record | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Baycats | Barrie, Ontario | Coates Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex | 1,500 | 2001 | 33-3 | 1st |
| Brantford Red Sox | Brantford, Ontario | Arnold Anderson Stadium | 2,000 | 1911 | 17-19 | 5th |
| Burlington Herd | Burlington, Ontario | Casey Cosgrove Field | 1,000 | 2016 | 13-23 | 6th |
| Guelph Royals | Guelph, Ontario | David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park | 1,400 | 1919 | 1-35 | 8th |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton, Ontario | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 3,000 | 1953 | 9-27 | 7th |
| Kitchener Panthers | Kitchener, Ontario | Jack Couch Baseball Park | 1,400 | 1919 | 28-8 | 2nd |
| London Majors | London, Ontario | Labatt Memorial Park | 5,200 | 1925 | 25-11 | 3rd |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park | 3,000 | 1969 | 18-18 | 4th |
Past teams
| Former Intercounty Baseball League Teams | ||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Folded/Moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1940s? | |
| 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 | Preston | 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 |
| 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 |
League staff
- Commissioner: John Kastner
- Registrar: Jason Little
- Treasurer/Statistician: Herb Morell
- Umpire in Chief: Andy Herrington
- Marketing Manager: Ryan Harrison
- Media Relations Manager: Cory Smith
Champions
The 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 past players
- John Axford (Brantford Red Sox) – Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians
- Don Beaupre (Waterloo Tigers) – Minnesota North Stars
- Tom Burgess (London Majors) - St. Louis Cardinals
- Rich Butler (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay 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
- Rob Ducey (Cambridge) Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Anaheim Angels 1987–2001
- 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
- Lester B. Pearson (Guelph Maple Leafs) – Prime Minister of Canada (22 April 1963 – 20 April 1968)
- 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
- Rob Thomson (Stratford Hillers) – New York Yankees
- Scott Thorman (Brantford Red Sox) – Atlanta Braves
- Jimmy Wilkes (Brantford Red Sox) – Negro League: Newark Eagles, Houston Eagles, Indianapolis Clowns
References
- 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.