Roger Lajoie Blog: Not done yet — Hamilton Cardinals chasing playoff title

By Roger Lajoie Winning their first ever pennant in 2026 in the first ever season of the Canadian Baseball League was a remarkable achievement for the Hamilton Cardinals. But the season isn't over yet, and the Cardinals are clearly not sitting on their regular season laurels. Nothing beats meaningful September baseball and that's what we're seeing at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium this week as the Cards face the Barrie Baycats in the best-of-seven CBL semi-finals. Hamilton leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Barrie Wednesday and Game 5 back at The Nest Friday at 7:35. If necessary, Game 6 goes Saturday in Barrie and Game 7 in Hamilton Sunday. After pulling off a six-game win streak to stun the CBL and win the pennant last week (Cards trailed London by five games with six games to go), Hamilton moved on to the semi-finals to face Barrie, who won the wild card game over Guelph. It's been quite the series so far. Cards won the first two games, 7-5 in Hamilton and 4-1 in Barrie, before the Baycats took Game 3 in Hamilton 13-6. Winner of this series gets the winner of the London/Welland semi-final in the CBL Championship Series. So even though winning the pennant was great, the Cardinals are clearly looking like a team that intends to finish the job and win a playoff title, a feat Hamilton hasn't done since 1978. It won't be easy. The three other teams remaining have all recently won championships, and the Baycats have been in the finals the last three years, winning in 2024. Recent playoff experience certainly favours the other teams. They are all deep and experienced. But the Cardinals have their advantages too. The fans at Bernie Arbour Stadium are getting bigger and louder, and the Cards have home field advantage that comes with winning the pennant. Their three top starters - Hector Yan, Owen Boon and Luis Ramirez - finished one-two-three in both ERA and WHIP in the league. There isn't a better trio of starters in the CBL. That is a huge advantage in the post-season. Hamilton's lineup on balance is second to none as well. No Cardinal was among the very top in any individual offensive category, but every hitter one to nine contributes, which is a nightmare for opposing pitchers. It won't be easy. It never is. And no matter what happens the rest of the way, 2026 is already a season to remember for Hamilton baseball fans. But it's not over yet. And the Cardinals have as good a chance to win it all as anyone does. Buckle up!