Roger Lajoie Blog: It's a Baseball Miracle

By Roger Lajoie What the Hamilton Cardinals just accomplished is nothing short of a baseball miracle. Last week the Cards trailed the first place London Majors by five games with just six games left to play in the inaugural Canadian Baseball League season. This week the Cardinals are celebrating their first ever pennant win. What?! Here's how it all happened... It all started last Tuesday, when Hamilton began a daunting final week schedule of five games in six days, including four games in four nights, to complete the regular season schedule. This incredible run started Tuesday with an 11-1 romp in Welland over the Jackfish. On Thursday it was back to Welland and this time, the Cards scored a 5-2 win. On Friday Hamilton beat Barrie 4-2 at Bernie Arbour Stadium, before defeating the Royals in Guelph 8-5 on Saturday. To wrap it up, the Cards crushed Brantford 15-3 at The Nest on Sunday in a game shortened to 7 innings by rain. Five wins in six days in three cities against four teams. Hamilton out-scored its opponents 43-13 in that stretch. That is truly incredible. But wait - the story gets even better! While that was happening the Majors were losing four straight games, including their season finale against Welland 11-3. That game was suspended by rain with Welland leading 9-2 in the fifth inning, with the conclusion delayed by rain again both on Sunday and Monday nights before finally ending Tuesday. So instead of celebrating on the field after Sunday's win, the Cards had to sit around and wait out the rain for two full days before the pennant clinching became official late Tuesday night. I'm sure it was well worth the wait! And here's the best stat of all so get ready for this one - the only time the Cardinals were in first place all year was on the final day of the season!!! The playoffs are still to come and that's the big one of course. But after never winning a pennant in the Intercounty Baseball League, the record will always show that the first ever Canadian Baseball League pennant was won by the Hamilton Cardinals. And the amazing story of how that happened will never be forgotten by the team or its fans. Does that sound like a baseball miracle to you? Santa Maria, madre de dios! It sure does!