Move over Beer, There’s Craft Cider at the Ballpark!
Join us this Season as we partner with the Canadian Baseball League to bring Ontario Craft cider to local ball parks across Ontario. The Canadian Baseball League (CBL) is Canada’s only fully professional baseball league, featuring former MLB, MiLB and elite NCAA talent. Now entering its 108th season, the CBL stands as one of the longest-running baseball leagues in the world.
Just like the art of craft cider, Canada’s oldest baseball league is rooted in tradition. Historically, the Canadian Baseball League (formerly the Intercounty Baseball League – IBL) dates to 1919, making it one of Canada’s oldest baseball leagues. 2026 marks the League’s 108th season of baseball and confirms its place as one of the longest continually operated baseball leagues in the world.
When a league has been around for over a century, there is a story to tell. The League began in 1919 with just four teams in Southwestern Ontario: Galt, Guelph, Stratford and Kitchener. Soon after, the league doubled in size with teams in London, Brantford, Preston and St. Thomas joining at various times. By the mid-1930s, the IBL had established a reputation as one of Ontario’s best amateur leagues. Labatt Park, where the London Majors still play today, is the oldest continuously operated ballpark in the World.
During the 1950’s the league was considered on a par with many minor pro leagues. This was long before baseball games were on television and great crowds came out to see the games, which were played under floodlights for the first time in the 1950s.
In 1969, the IBL welcomed Toronto to the league. This was after the historic Toronto Maple Leafs franchise in the International League (AAA) left town in 1967 for Louisville. Although Toronto joined the IBL in 1969 as the Maple Leafs, the Maple Leaf name had been used by Guelph in the IBL from 1919-1953. In fact, the Guelph Maple Leafs were formed way back in 1861, decades before Toronto’s NHL team adopted the name in 1927.
Over the years, such familiar names as Ferguson Jenkins, Chris Speier, Jesse Orosco, Larry Landreth, Mike Kilkenny and Mike Gardiner have played in the league, but it isn’t just former major leaguers who have thrilled fans. In 2006 the league was honoured to have an all-time great, Ron Stead, inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame followed by another grad and former Toronto Blue Jay, outfielder Rob Ducey in 2013. People like Arden Eddie, Bill Byckowski, Tom McKenzie, Denis Flanagan, Bob McKillop, Dan Collison, Alf Payne, Ron Stead, Doug Landreth and Russ Brahms have all been honoured.
Today the Canadian Baseball League includes nine teams from across Southern Ontario: Barrie, Brantford, Chatham-Kent, Guelph, Hamilton, London, Toronto and Welland. The most recent expansion team is the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers who at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham and sold out every game in their inaugural season.
During the 2025 season, a record 64 players with MLB and MiLB experience took the field, more than doubling the same total from 2024, including former MLB All-Star Fernando Rodney who played for the Hamilton Cardinals. In 2025, Ayami Sato, legendary pitcher for Japan’s women’s national team, also became the first female player in League history, suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A major shift came in late 2025: the league announced it was transitioning from being semi-professional to a fully professional independent baseball league under the new name Canadian Baseball League, effective with the 2026 season. The move reflects the rapid growth of interest in baseball, particularly small-stadium baseball with great in-game entertainment, as reflected by the League’s record attendance in 2025 of 249,590 fans.
In 2026, the first year as the Canadian Baseball League, a new chapter of this League’s rich history is being written. Celebrate one of Ontario’s oldest and most beloved sports with one of Ontario’s earliest crafted beverages at your local ballpark this Season:
Labatt Memorial Park
Home of The London Majors
25 Wilson Avenue
London, Ontario
Arnold Anderson Stadium, Cockshutt Park
Home to the Brantford Red Sox
35 Sherwood Drive
Brantford, Ontario
Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium, Mohawk Sports Park
Home of the Hamilton Cardinals
1100 Mohawk Road East
Hamilton, Ontario
David E. Hastings Stadium
Home of the Guelph Royals
70 Division St
Guelph, Ontario
Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park
Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club
750 Bloor St W
Toronto, Ontario
Athletic Kulture Stadium
Barrie Sports Complex
Home of The Barrie Baycats
2100 Nursery Road
Midhurst, Ontario
Fergie Jenkins Field
Home of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers
30 Tweedsmuir Ave W
Chatham, Ontario
Look for the Ontario Craft Cider Van at participating ballparks to sample and discover a variety of locally crafted ciders. Step outside the ordinary and enjoy a cool, refreshing cider on Game Day as you cheer on your local team! Follow the CBL Schedule here.
