Roger Lajoie Blog: Cardinals fans - this is getting serious

By Roger Lajoie It's been a really fun summer of baseball for fans of the Hamilton Cardinals so far this season. However it's about to start getting a little more serious - but in a very fun way. The Cards set a franchise record with their 23rd win of the season Sunday in London with a gritty 6-4 win over the first place Majors. That game was a lot of fun to watch, but that game also brought home a serious topic to discuss regarding the 2026 Hamilton baseball season. The topic - can Hamilton actually compete for a championship this season? Whoa! Up until now perhaps, the Cardinals were kind of a Cinderella story. It has been so long since the Cards were a top team in this league after all. Hamilton was having a very good year mind you, and was on target for the best regular season record in franchise history. But that mark has already been reached - with 13 games still left in the season! Most observers had Hamilton pegged as a good team on the upswing, but few saw them as a team that would seriously challege for a pennant when the season started. That narrative has certainly changed. Here's some serious numbers for you: Hamilton is 23-12 and on a five- game win streak. Cards are now in third place, just two games behind the Majors and a half-game behind Welland. Cards are 14-3 at Bernie Arbour Stadium, where they have won 10 straight games. Hamilton ranks first in team defense, second in team hitting and tied for first in team hitting. No Cinderella story here. This is pretty serious stuff. London, Welland, Barrie and Guelph have really stacked teams, and all of those teams have had deep playoff success in recent years. They were considered "The Big 4" of the CBL at the start of the season in many minds. Well it's "The Big 5" now with Hamilton inside it, and with the Cards currently two games up on fourth place Guelph and 2 1/2 up on fifth place Barrie. Coming up is a crucial stretch of six games in 8 days starting Tuesday. Regular season wraps up August 30. Only the top three teams avoid having to play an elimination game to start the playoffs, so we are in for a fun three weeks of baseball. Buckle up. And here's a fun thought - the Hamiltin Cardinals have as good a chance as any team does of winning it all. Seriously.