Roger Lajoie Blog: Cardinals put up an impressive first half

By Roger Lajoie The Hamilton Cardinals are exactly half way home. Hamilton hit the mid-point of the Canadian Baseball League season on Sunday with a gritty 3-2 win over the London Majors at Bernie Arbour Stadium. It was game 24 of the 48 game CBL regular season, so it's the ideal time for a mid-season check in. If you could only use one words to describe the Cards season to date, "impressive" might fit the bill. The numbers don't lie - the Cards have been very good. A 15-9 record has Hamilton in fourth place and just one game out of first, with Barrie, London and Welland in a three-way tie at the top of the standings. Guelph is just one game back of the Cards, so five teams are neck-and-neck. It's no fluke Hamilton is near the top. The Cards boast the best team ERA in the league and the best fielding percentage. If it's true pitching and defence wins championships, the team is in great position to seriously challenge for a title come September. Hamilton is only fourth in team hitting, but there is more than enough fire power in the lineup to win, especially combined with their elite pitching and defence. But only being half way home means there is a second half to come. There are three major factors that will likely determine the Cards ultimate chances at seriously challenging for a title this year from where I sit. 1. Beat the big boys. The four teams bunched up with the Cards are really good. Hamilton still has four games remaining with the defending champion Jackfish and five with Barrie, the 2024 champs. That's 9 of their last 24 games against the latest Dominico Cup winners. Obviously those games will determine a lot. 2. Be road warriors. Cards are 10-3 at home and 5-6 on the road. So 13 of the last 24 will be away from The Nest, where they have been under .500 to date. That's not a bad road record, but to grab a top three spot to avoid the play-in game, they'll need to win more often away from Hamilton. 3. Win the close ones. Cards have a run differental of plus 92, which is outstanding. But consider this stat - in their 15 wins, they are plus 109. In their nine losses, minus 17. They win games by an average of 7.2 runs and lose games by an average of 1.8. Their ovrrall record is impressive, but they have lost more than a few tight games that they could/should have won. There figures to be a lot of tight games down the stretch, so winning the close ones more often is necessary. It's been an impressive first half for sure. And the 2026 Cards are the best version of Hamilton baseball in decades - maybe ever! If in the second half Hamilton beats the big boys, wins on the road and takes a few more close ones, this could wind up being a really special season. Half way home. Impressive. Will be interesting to see what word we'll be using to describe the second half.