Gibbons: CBL's Hamilton Cardinals aiming for second title in historic season

Hamilton Cardinals reliever Steven Hospital (Oakville, Ont.) had two saves during the regular season. Photo: Denis Gibbons

September 10, 2026

By Denis Gibbons

Canadian Baseball Network

Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister and the Toronto Blue Jays were just closing out their second season in the American League the last time the Hamilton Cardinals won an Intercounty Baseball League championship.

The Redbirds eliminated the London Majors in six games on Sept. 11, 1978, the very same night the Blue Jays lost 6-4 to Cleveland, in spite of home runs by Otto Velez, Doug Ault and Dave McKay (Vancouver, B.C.).

A rickety old bus drove the Cardinals down the golden path to the championship 48 years ago. The club bought a used bus at a reasonable price and it took them everywhere.

Darrell Ostrosser, the second baseman for the Stoney Creek all-star team that made it to the finals of the Little World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in 1965, was a member of the 1978 championship team.

Now the Cardinals are aiming at their second title after winning their first regular season pennant in the newly named Canadian Baseball League.

This season each team was allowed to sign eight imports, three more than last year.

Following an impressive eight-game winning streak that saw them win the last six games of the regular season and the first two of the playoffs, the Cardinals finally lost Game 3 of the semi-finals 13-6 to the Barrie Baycats on Sunday. Hamilton still leads the best of seven series 2-1.

Lefthander Frank Garces, a native of the Dominican Republic who pitched briefly for the San Diego Padres under manager Buddy Black, got the win, defeating Hamilton ace Owen Boon (London, Ont.).

Shortstop Brandon Nicoll (Coombs, B.C.) and second baseman Darlin German led the team in hitting this year with lofty batting averages of .350. Carlos Dominguez led the way in home runs with 12 in just 48 games.

On the pitching side, lefthander Hector Yan and righty Boon finished first and second in the league in earned run average, both posting marks below 3.00.

On April 27, 2014, the Blue Jays became the first Major League baseball team to have six players in their starting lineup from the Dominican Republic. Hamilton duplicated that feat more than once this season.

A possible sextet could have German at second base, Reyny Reyes at third, Dominguez in right field, Angel Guerrero in left with Yan pitching and Jommer Hernandez catching, although Canadian Evan Magill (Ajax, Ont.) is the regular backstop.

Outfielder Tyler Duncan (Sooke, B.C.) batted .327 with five home runs and 26 RBIs for the Hamilton Cardinals during the 2026 regular season. Photo: Denis Gibbons

In 2023 Tyler Duncan (Sooke, B.C.), a former member of the Junior National Team, was named league MVP, the first Cardinal player ever to be so honored. Duncan was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 but never played in the Major Leagues.

Duncan starred again this season, hitting .327 and supplying almost impeccable defence in centre field.

Hamilton Cardinals reliever Connor Cory (Wawanesa, Man.) visits with his grandfather Gene Cory. Connor posted a 3.52 ERA in 21 relief appearances for the Cardinals during the regular season. Photo: Denis Gibbons

The Cardinals also have some impressive lineage.

Relief pitcher Connor Cory is the grandson of Gene Cory, who played for Canada at the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, 59 years ago in 1967. Canada scored a huge 10-9 upset win over Cuba, the Cubans’ first loss in international play in 12 years.

The United States eventually eliminated Cuba to win the gold medal.

For most of its existence, the Hamilton team has been an also-ran, struggling to keep its head above the .500 mark. It hit rock-bottom in 1998, winning only three of 30 games.

Entrepreneur Eric Spearin bought the team in 2023 and was named executive of the year for all his efforts in reviving a franchise that was dying.

Attendance has increased in each of the years he has owned the team.

Emily Thompson, a former member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dance & Cheer team, is the chief cheerleader during every home game at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium.

Thompson emcees a host of between-innings games for children and fans on the field. Kids get to run the bases at the end of the second inning, there are all sorts of contests with prizes and a T-shirt toss in the stands.

Game 4 of the series is set for Barrie Thursday night.

The fifth, sixth and seventh games, if necessary, would be played Friday night in Hamilton, Saturday afternoon in Barrie and Sunday afternoon in Hamilton.

The London Majors lead the Welland Jackfish 2-1 in games in the other semi-final.