The Brantford Red Sox are an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

team of the

Intercounty Baseball League The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian amateur baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario. The league was formed in 1919 and ...

based in

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. They play their home games at

Arnold Anderson Stadium Arnold Anderson Stadium at Cockshutt Park is a baseball venue located in Brantford, Ontario and home to the Brantford Red Sox of the Intercounty Baseball League and the Brantford Jr. Red Sox of the Junior Intercounty Baseball League. Cockshutt Pa ...

History

The Brantford Red Sox were founded in 1911 when they joined the Canadian Baseball League. In 1915 the league folded due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and after a short hiatus the team played in the Michigan-Ontario League from 1919 to 1922. After another break they joined the

Ontario League The Ontario League was a Minor League Baseball league which operated in six Ontario cities in . Teams *Brantford Red Sox (Brantford, Ontario) *Guelph Blitmores (Guelph, Ontario) *Hamilton Tigers (Hamilton, Ontario) * London Tecumsehs (London, Ont ...

in 1930, which folded due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Brantford first joined the Intercounty Baseball League in 1921 but not under the name "Red Sox"(that name was in use by the Brantford team in the Michigan-Ontario League). It was in 1946 when Brantford first had a team named the Red Sox in the I-C (intermediate division).

Championships

In 1921 they joined the

. They won the championship 15 times. The Brantford Red Sox's six consecutive championships from 2008 to 2013 set an Intercounty Baseball League record Won the Pennant 11 times.

Hall of Famers

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

-born left-handed pitcher, Ron Stead, for example, led Brantford to five league titles (1960-1963, 1965) and was inducted into the

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (french: Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien) is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada. His ...

on June 24, 2006, in

St. Marys, Ontario St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...

. Stead also won an Intercounty title with the Guelph C-Joys in 1970. A legend of the Intercounty loop, Stead is first in all-time wins (104), strikeouts (1,231), shutouts (25), most appearances (198), most innings pitched (1,365) and complete games (116). Stead was a 10-time All-Star and four-time MVP (1960, 1963, 1965 and 1967). He was also the starting pitcher for Team Canada at the 1967

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada.

2006 Red Sox win the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy

On August 25, 2006, the Brantford Red Sox won the Intercounty title for the first time since 1981 by defeating the

London Majors The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario. They play their home games at the 5,200 seat Labatt Memorial Park. Team history ...

7-3 in Brantford before 2,000 fans at Arnold Anderson Stadium in Cockshutt Park. Brantford, which finished third in the standings during regular season play, came on strong during the second half of the regular season and the playoffs. In the championship series, the Red Sox defeated the London Majors four games to one. The 2006 IBL championship team includes: Jason Gotwalt, Lee Delfino, Adam Clarke, Al Stephens, Dave Parsons, Hyung Cho, Ryan Brickman, Chris Baker, Adam Vella, Wayne Forman, Raul Borjas, Brad Hogeterp, Mike Anderson, Mark Ferguson, Josh McCurdy, Steve Murray, Tyler Moe, Stefan Strecker, John Ogiltree, Aaron Boag, Tyler Burnell, Adrian Kerr, John Axford, John Mariotti, Min Soo Kim and manager/ vice-president of baseball operations Rick Johnston.

Ownership history

* Jerry Roseman (1977-78) * Jay Johnson and Perry Davidson (1979-1984) *

Walter Gretzky Walter Gretzky, (October 8, 1938 – March 4, 2021) was a Canadian philanthropist who was best known as the father of Canadian ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky. An avid hockey player as a youth, and a keen analyst of the game, he built a backyar ...

, Romeo Shannelly, and John Mount (1985-1991) * Mike Calbeck (1992-2001) * Paul Aucoin (2002 -2014) * Jeff Hamilton and Lee Delfino (2015-2016) * Rick and Connie Pomerleau (2017 to present)

References

External links

*
Ron Stead, Intercounty star recognized

Brantford Red Sox Sold
{{Ontario Sports Baseball teams in Ontario Sport in Brantford Intercounty Baseball League Baseball teams established in 1911 1911 establishments in Ontario Michigan-Ontario League teams