Intercounty Baseball League
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 |
| Commissioner | John Kastner |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | London Majors (13th Title) |
| Most titles | Brantford Red Sox (15) |
| Official website | theibl.ca |
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian amateur 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 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 teams are located in Southern Ontario.
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 | 2021 Record | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Baycats | Barrie, Ontario | Coates Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex | 1,500 | 2001 | 14-16 | 5th |
| Brantford Red Sox | Brantford, Ontario | Arnold Anderson Stadium | 2,000 | 1911 | 11-19 | 6th |
| Guelph Royals | Guelph, Ontario | David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park | 1,400 | 1919 | Did not participate | N/A |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton, Ontario | CARSTAR Field at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 3,000 | 1953 | 11-19 | 7th |
| Kitchener Panthers | Kitchener, Ontario | Jack Couch Baseball Park | 1,400 | 1919 | 16-13 | 3rd |
| London Majors | London, Ontario | Labatt Memorial Park | 5,200 | 1925 | 22-8 | 1st |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park | 1,000 | 1969 | 16-14 | 2nd |
| Welland Jackfish | Welland, Ontario | Welland Stadium | 3,375 | 2018 | 15-15 | 4th |
Past teams[]
| 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 | 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 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 | |
| Strathroy Royals | Strathroy | 1938 |
|||
| 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 | |
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 players[]
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by . (August 2008) |
- 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 (London Majors) - St. Louis Cardinals
- 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)
- 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
- 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
Notable executives[]
- Bob Ferguson, league statistician (1958 to 1966) and owner of the London Pontiacs (1963 to 1964)[4]
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.
- ^ Boughner, Barry (2021). "London Majors' History 1925–2021". London Majors' Alumni Association. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
External links[]
- Intercounty Baseball League
- Baseball in Ontario
- Summer baseball leagues
- Baseball leagues in Canada