Hamilton Cardinals, Welland Jackfish to face off in CBL finals starting tonight

The Hamilton Cardinals and the Welland Jackfish will face off in the Canadian Baseball League Final, which begins tonight. Photo: CBL

September 17, 2026

Official Canadian Baseball League News Release

The Canadian Baseball League final is set to begin Friday in Hamilton when the top-seeded Cardinals host the third-place Welland Jackfish.  

It’s the first Dominico Cup final between the teams.

Welland is looking for its second straight league title and third in the last four seasons. Hamilton’s only championship came in 1978 when it defeated London in six games. The Cardinals' previous appearance in the final was in 2002.  

HOW THEY GOT HERE  

Both teams, along with London, finished 31-17, but Hamilton finished in first place based on the regular season tiebreaker.  

Hamilton advanced to the final after defeating Barrie – the fifth-place team and wild card winner – in six games. Welland, after dropping its first two games against second-place London in the other semifinal, won the next four to move on.  

SEASON SERIES 

Hamilton went 4-2 against Welland and took the last three games, which ultimately clinched the top seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs. The Cardinals outscored Welland 36-29. 

OFFENCE 

Welland led the CBL with 430 runs – nine per game. Daiki Abe led the Jackfish with a .397 average, while Ethan Mann had a team-high 15 home runs and 71 RBIs.  

Brandon Nicoll and Darlin German each hit .350 for the Cardinals, who scored 371 runs – 7.7 per game. Carlos Dominguez led Hamilton with 10 longballs, and German collected a team-best 54 RBIs.  

PITCHING 

As a team, Hamilton, led by Hector Yan and Owen Boon, posted an earned-run average of 3.88 in the regular season -- easily tops in the CBL. Both Yan and Boon had seven wins, while Yan racked up 112 punchouts.  

For Welland, the Jackfish’s 4.30 ERA ranked third in the CBL, just a tick below London’s. Closer Deivy Mendez posted a 1.75 ERA, while Ben Abram and Yoilan Quinonez each won six games.    

SCHEDULE 

(1) HAMILTON vs. (3) WELLAND 

Game 1: Friday, Sept. 18 at Hamilton, 7:35 p.m.  

Game 2: Saturday, Sept. 19 at Welland, 7:05 p.m.  

Game 3: Sunday, Sept. 20 at Hamilton, 4:05 p.m.  

Game 4: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at Welland, 7:05 p.m.  

*Game 5: Friday, Sept. 25 at Hamilton, 7:35 p.m.  

*Game 6: Saturday, Sept. 26 at Welland, 7:05 p.m.  

*Game 7: Sunday, Sept. 27 at Hamilton, 4:05 p.m.  

*If necessary