Hamilton Cardinals | |
---|---|
Information | |
League | Intercounty Baseball League |
Location | Hamilton, Ontario |
Ballpark | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium |
Founded | 1958 |
League championships | 1
|
Former name(s) |
|
Colours | Red, black |
Ownership | Eric Spearin, Carmens Group and Dennis Concordia |
Manager | Chris Piano |
General Manager | George Halim |
Website | www |
The Hamilton Cardinals are a Canadian baseball team based in Hamilton, Ontario and a member club of the Intercounty Baseball League. Founded in 1958, [1] the club is the second oldest sports team in the city of Hamilton. Many of the team's players are former major leaguers and minor professionals, as well as current and former NCAA or U Sports players. Home games are played at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium.
The team has gone through several name changes over the years, most recently returning to the Cardinals name, after eight seasons as the Hamilton Thunderbirds. They were named the Thunderbirds when Drew Brady purchased the franchise on January 1, 2005, and the club adopted a new look with revitalized facilities and new uniforms. The Hamilton Cardinals played 1,490 games with a record of 525 wins and 965 losses before becoming the Thunderbirds, and winning the Intercounty title in 1978.
At a press conference on February 1, 2012, the club announced it would again be named the Hamilton Cardinals, because of the club's relationship with the Hamilton Cardinals youth rep program. [1] In late 2013, Gary Molinaro purchased the team and appointed his son JP Molinaro the new team president while also hiring Mike Fortuna as the new general manager.
The team has gone through ownership changes in recent years, first in 2018 when a community ownership group led by Carmens Group was formed, then again in September 2022 when the ownership structure was changed to include local businessman Eric Spearin as the majority owner with PJ Mercanti of Carmens Group maintaining a minority position. [2]
Shortly after the ownership change, the Hamilton Cardinals unveiled a new primary logo and uniforms for the 2023 season. The new logo features a strong modernized cardinal with a bat over its shoulder featuring a “hammer”-inspired bat weight. The logo emphasizes a new black and red colour scheme. [3]
Under Spearin's leadership, the 2023 season heralded significant advancements for the organization, as evidenced by the Cardinals setting new benchmarks in attendance, television viewership, and merchandise sales. [4] On May 21 2023, the Hamilton Cardinals retired #13 in honour of Dean Dicenzo. [5] This was the first jersey number retired in franchise history. On the field, outfielder Tyler Duncan was awarded the franchise's first IBL Most Valuable Player and John Bell Memorial Trophy, boasting a .355 batting average, 6 doubles, 5 triples, a league-leading 16 home runs, and 51 RBIs over all 42 regular season games. [6] Duncan's performance also established new franchise records in home runs and RBIs. Off the field, Spearin's contributions were recognized with the League's Executive of the Year award at the end of the 2023 season. [7]
The conclusion of the 2023 season also marked another significant change for the organization, with long-time Manager Dean Castelli stepping down to take on the role of Player Liaison Coordinator within the organization. Len Picota was subsequently appointed as the new Field Manager for the 2024 season. [8]
Hamilton Cardinals Roster | |||
---|---|---|---|
Active Roster | Coaches | ||
Pitchers:
| Catchers:
| Field Manager:
Coaches:
Head Athletic Therapist:
Team Massage Therapist:
Team Chiropractor:
|
Hamilton Beavers | ||
---|---|---|
Year | W-L | PCT |
1958 | 7-25 | .219 |
1959 | 14-14 | .500 |
Hamilton Cardinals | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
1960 | 19-15 | .559 |
1961 | 19-15 | .559 |
Hamilton Red Wings | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
1966 | 10-19 | .345 |
1967 | 11-17 | .393 |
1968 | 12-12 | .500 |
1969 | 16-12 | .571 |
Hamilton Marlins | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
1970 | 13-17 | .433 |
1971 | 11-17 | .393 |
1972 | 10-18 | .357 |
Hamilton Real McCoys | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
1973 | 14-16 | .467 |
1974 | 13-17 | .433 |
Hamilton Cardinals | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
1975 | 11-17 | .393 |
1976 | 7-25 | .219 |
1977 | 15-17 | .469 |
1978 | 19-17 | .527 |
1979 | 9-21 | .300 |
1980 | 14-18 | .438 |
1981 | 14-20 | .412 |
1982 | 5-28 | .152 |
1983 | 12-22 | .352 |
1984 | 6-25 | .194 |
1985 | 12-24 | .333 |
1986 | 7-25 | .219 |
1987 | 10-24 | .294 |
1988 | 11-23 | .323 |
1989 | 10-24 | .294 |
1990 | 10-24 | .294 |
1991 | 12-22 | .353 |
1992 | 7-25 | .219 |
1993 | 16-19 | .457 |
1994 | 17-18 | .486 |
1995 | 8-27 | .229 |
1996 | 12-23 | .343 |
1997 | 14-22 | .389 |
1998 | 3-27 | .100 |
1999 | 15-20 | .429 |
2000 | 16-19 | .457 |
2001 | 11-21 | .344 |
2002 | 22-14 | .611 |
2003 | 19-17 | .528 |
2004 | 12-24 | .333 |
Hamilton Thunderbirds | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
2005 | 16-18 | .471 |
2006 | 14-22 | .389 |
2007 | 16-20 | .444 |
2008 | 10-26 | .278 |
2009 | 7-29 | .194 |
2010 | 12-24 | .333 |
2011 | 7-28 | .200 |
Hamilton Cardinals | ||
Year | W-L | PCT |
2012 | 6-30 | .200 |
2013 | 16-26 | .381 |
2014 | 11-25 | .306 |
2015 | 13-23 | .361 |
2016 | 8-28 | .222 |
2017 | 9-27 | .250 |
2018 | 15-21 | .417 |
2019 | 20-16 | .556 |
2020 | Cancelled due to COVID | |
2021 | 11-19 | .367 |
2022 | 12-30 | .286 |
2023 | 19-23 | .452 |
Larry Kenneth Robert Walker is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 slugging percentage (SLG) and 30 stolen bases in the same season, on his way to winning the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). The first player in more than 60 years to record a batting average of .360 in three consecutive seasons from 1997 to 1999, Walker also won three NL batting championships. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2009, and was named the 13th-greatest sporting figure from Canada by Sports Illustrated in 1999. In 2020, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Wesley Branch Rickey was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, encouraged the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and introduced the batting helmet. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.
Jeffrey Guy Conine is an American former professional baseball left fielder / first baseman and current front office assistant for the Miami Marlins, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons, with six teams. An inaugural member of the Florida Marlins who was with the franchise for both of its World Series titles, he was nicknamed "Mr. Marlin" for his significant history with the club.
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario. They play their home games at the 5,200 seat Labatt Memorial Park.
David Edwin Duncan is an American former professional baseball catcher and pitching coach who is currently a pitching consultant for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He began his MLB playing career in 1964 and played again consecutively from 1967 to 1976 for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles.
The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.
The Barrie Baycats are an independent, minor league baseball team of the semi-pro Intercounty Baseball League based in Barrie, Ontario. They play their home games at Vintage Throne Stadium at the Barrie Community Sports Complex in Midhurst.
Brandon Emil Phillips is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox. At 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 211 pounds (96 kg), Phillips batted and threw right-handed.
Frank Lloyd Colman was a Canadian professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees during the 1940s. He batted and threw left-handed, was 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall and weighed 188 pounds (85 kg).
The 1937 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 56th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 46th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 81–73 during the season and finished fourth in the National League.
The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 53rd season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 43rd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 95–58 during the season and finished first in the National League. St. Louis won 18 of their last 23 games to overtake the New York Giants the last two days of the season. In the World Series, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in seven games, winning the last 11–0.
The 1934 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth and last in the National League with a record of 52–99, 42 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Their .344 winning percentage remains the lowest in franchise history and the 99 losses were the worst in franchise history until the 1982 Reds lost 101 games. Because the schedule did not have 162 games at this time, and the Reds only won 52 games this season compared to 1982, when they lost 101 games, when at the same time winning 61 games, nine more than this team, the 1934 Reds are actually a weaker team than the 1982 team, thus making this team the worst in franchise history overall.
Thomas Roland Burgess was a Canadian professional baseball player, coach and manager. An outfielder and first baseman, Burgess had two trials in Major League Baseball (MLB); a 17-game stint with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954, and a full season with the Los Angeles Angels in 1962. He then forged a long career as a minor-league manager, and served as a major-league third base coach for the 1977 New York Mets and 1978 Atlanta Braves.
The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. They are named for striped bass in reference to the popularity of fishing in the region.
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals have played their home games at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. One of the nation's oldest and most successful professional baseball clubs, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the most of any NL team and second in MLB only to the New York Yankees. The team has won 19 National League pennants, third-most of any team behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. St. Louis has also won 15 division titles in the East and Central divisions.
The Ottawa Fat Cats were a semi-professional baseball club in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The team began play on May 8, 2010, against the Guelph Royals, and played its home games at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium, the first home game was on May 15, 2010, against the Mississauga Twins. The team was a member of the Intercounty Baseball League but suspended operations at the end of the 2012 season. They were eventually replaced as the primary tenant of what is now Ottawa Stadium by the Ottawa Titans of the Frontier League.
The Welland Jackfish are an independent minor-league baseball team based in Welland, Ontario, Canada. The Jackfish are a member of the Intercounty Baseball League, an independent baseball league established in 1919 which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Marcus Allen Knecht is a Canadian professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at Oklahoma State University and Connors State College. Knecht has also competed for the Canadian national baseball team.
The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Brewing magnate Gussie Busch's 37-year-long ownership of the club ended with his death in 1989, and his brewery, Anheuser-Busch (AB) took over. In 1995, an investment group led by Drew Baur and William DeWitt, Jr., purchased the team and have owned the club since. Shortstop Ozzie Smith – nicknamed "The Wizard" – collected a staggering array of defensive records and awards while performing acrobatic spectacles such as somersaults and flips that mesmerized Cardinal and non-Cardinal fans alike. In 1998, Mark McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa collocated national attention with their chase of Roger Maris' single-season home run record of 61. In addition, McGwire also set numerous team home run records. For the 1990s, the Cardinals captured one division title and finished above .500 five times for a .488 winning percentage
2018 Intercounty Baseball League season was the 100th season of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). It started on May 6 and ended on September 6.