The Québec Capitales (
French: Capitales de Québec and often referred to as the Caps) are a professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
team based in
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
. The Capitales compete in the
Frontier League
The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...
(FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The club is owned by Jean Tremblay, Pierre Tremblay, and Marie-Pierre Simard, a ownership group that owns several professional sports teams in the city, while the team's broadcasting rights are split between
CHYZ-FM and HomeTeam Network.
The club was founded in 1999 as an expansion team in the
Northern League, but then moved to the
Northeast League in 2003 and the
Can-Am League in 2005, and the Frontier League prior to the 2020 season. Since 1999, the Capitales play at
Stade Canac, which was formerly known as ''Stade Municipal''.
Québec has won the most championships in all independent baseball teams, with a total of ten championships since its existence, and have made the playoffs 19 times. The club is known as one of the most popular independent baseball teams in North America, and have been extremely successful from 2009 to 2013 with five league championships in a row. These successes were followed by an extended championship drought, which at 4 seasons, is the longest in franchise history. The Capitales have
rivalries
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
with the
New Jersey Jackals,
New York Boulders, the
Ottawa Titans and the
Trois-Rivières Aigles.
Several individuals who hold an association with the club have been inducted into the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
. Six players have had their
numbers retired by the Capitales, including the first in independent baseball history.
History
In 1999, the Québec Capitales joined the
Northern League as an expansion team, and have played their inaugural home opener on June 4, 1999 in front of a crowd of 4,743. In their first season in Quebec City, the club has averaged 2,697 fans per game for a total of 110,559 in 41 home games. They then moved to the
Northeast League in 2003, followed by the
Can-Am League in 2005.
In 2006, the Capitales won their first championship in team history. Although the team had the second-worst record in team history, they still qualified for last postseason spot with a 44–44 record. They defeated the top seed
North Shore Spirit in dramatic comeback fashion winning the last two games to win the series 3 games to 2 in the semifinal round. In the championship series, the Caps took a 2 games to none advantage before the
Brockton Rox came back to even the series. In the final and decisive game, Québec defeated the Rox on their home field by coming from behind and won by a score of 5–4 to win the Can-Am League Championship 3 games to 2. The team has averaged 3,295 fans per game in 42 home games.
On June 13, 2009, a stadium record crowd of 5,354 invaded the
Stade Municipal de Québec as former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher
Éric Gagné, was the starting pitcher in his first game in a Capitales uniform. At the end of the season, the Caps won the second half regular-season championship and finished the season with the 3rd best overall record (53–41). Québec eliminated the Brockton Rox 3 games to 1 in the opening round. In a rematch of the 2005 championship, the Capitales got revenge by eliminating the
Worcester Tornadoes 3 games to 1. They were ranked first in the 2009 Can-Am League attendance figures, by averaging 3,565 fans per game to a total of 164,009 in 46 home games. It was also their highest average attendance in franchise history.
In 2010, the Caps obtained a second consecutive championship, passing by the
Pittsfield Colonials 3 games to 1.
In 2011, Québec won their third championship in a row by defeating the
New Jersey Jackals in five games.
In 2012, the team again defeated the Jackals 4 games to 1, thus winning their fourth championship in a row. A fifth championship in a row materialized in 2013, the Capitales defeated again the New Jersey Jackals in seven games.
In 2017, the Caps finished first place in the Can-Am League regular season standings, and have captured their seventh championship in franchise history. They've sweeped the
Rockland Boulders 3 games to 0 at home in front of a crowd of 4,607 during Game 3 on September 14, 2017. During the regular season, the team attracted 141,923 people in its stadium, to an average of 2,838 fans per game.
In 2020, Québec moved to the
Frontier League
The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...
following the merger of the Can-Am League with the FL. However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and extended closure of the
Canada–United States border
The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...
, the league announced that the Capitales (along with the
Trois-Rivières Aigles) would be unable to compete for the 2020 season (which was later cancelled). The club later announced they intended to organize a separate league in the province of Quebec for the summer as an alternative, but these plans were eventually scrapped by both clubs.
The continued closure of the
Canada–United States border
The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...
, unfortunately resulted in pushing the Caps' first game in the FL to the 2022 season.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, Québec, and Trois-Rivières were replaced on the 2021 schedule by a travelling team named ''Équipe Québec''. Équipe Québec used the Canadian players from the Ottawa Titans, Québec Capitales and Trois-Rivières Aigles to craft the base of their roster and spent the first half of the season on the road, before returning to Canada in late July. Équipe Québec split their home games between
Stade Canac in Quebec City and
Stade Quillorama in Trois-Rivières.
On July 30, 2021, Équipe Québec hosted the
New York Boulders at Stade Canac and won the game 10–8 in front of a full house of 2,800 people, the maximum number that was allowed due to the
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...
's public health restrictions.
On September 12, 2021, Équipe Québec qualified for the playoffs, and then faced the
Washington Wild Things in the best-of-five Frontier League Division Series (FLDS). The capacity crowd of 4,287 gathered at Stade Canac during Game 3 represented nearly 1,500 more people than the number allowed due to public health restrictions, and Québec were able to pull a 3–2 win over the Wild Things. They however lost Game 4 and 5 at home, which made an end to their very unique season. Équipe Québec finished the season first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 52 wins and 44 losses with an average of 2,198 fans in 24 home games, including the playoffs. A full reset was done by the team's front office to immediately shift focus on the 2022 season.
On September 18, 2022, the Caps won their 8th championship in franchise history, defeating the
Schaumburg Boomers in the Frontier League Championship Series (FLCS) in four games. Team catcher Ruben Castro hit a walk-off
sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d):
"Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...
to win the championship in the bottom of the 9th inning, with a final score of 2–1. Noise levels in the stadium allegedly reached as high as 115 decibels when runs were scored by the Capitales, but most notably, when Ruben Castro hit a walk-off 2-run double in the bottom of the 9th inning the previous night during Game 3, when 4,428 fans were crammed into the stadium. In the regular season, the team has averaged 2,557 fans per game to a total of 130,414 in 51 home games.
On September 17, 2023, Québec won their 9th championship in franchise history over the
Evansville Otters. The 2023 season was also notable for the Capitales for drawing 166,916 people to its ballpark for an average of 3,035 fans per game, the highest total attendance in franchise history.
In the 2024 season, the Caps won another division title and made it to the finals for the third consecutive year. They’ve sold out 21 of their 48 home games, and have set a franchise record for the most consecutive sellouts, with 16 in a row. They have also averaged 3,436 fans per game during the regular season, their highest average attendance since 2009. On September 14, 2024, all 4,297 seats were sold in 45 minutes for the fans to watch Game 4 of the FLCS against the
Washington Wild Things at home, as Québec were leading 2–1 in the series. The Capitales won their 10th championship in history and third in a row, by defeating the Wild Things in dramatic fashion, as Anthony Quirion hit walk-off
grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning. Team president Michel Laplante stated that it was the stadium's loudest moment in history, reaching deafening decibel levels after the win.
Team culture
Team identity
The official colours of the Québec Capitales are navy blue, gold and white. The primary logo consists of a white baseball diamond with navy blue pinstripes. The "Capitales" wordmark is superimposed over the diamond in navy blue outlined in gold. The wordmark is underlined by a navy blue ribbon with the word "Québec" centred on it in white, with the French word "de" centred in between. A navy blue
fleur-de-lis
The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...
is centred above the wordmark, with a stylized depiction of home plate centred below.
The Caps uniforms are traditional in design. The caps are navy blue throughout with the scripted "Q" cap logo centred on the front in gold with a white centre incorporating a navy blue fleur-de-lis and red baseball threading. The home jerseys are white with navy blue pinstripes, with the "Capitales" cursive script wordmark centred across in navy blue with gold outline. The alternate jersey is navy blue with gold piping with the cap logo centred on the left-side chest.
Fan base

The price of a Capitales home game ticket is the lowest amongst any team in the FL. Stade Canac holds 4,297 seats for Caps games, with 3,500 reserved for season ticket holders. Because of the demand for season tickets, their sale is limited to the 2,300 people on the waiting list. As of August 2024, Caps' season tickets saw a renewal rate of 99.5 percent, a rate that would require more than 250 years to clear the existing waiting list. As of 2025, the Caps came first in ticket affordability in the league.
Caps fans are known for their dedicated support and notable loyalty to the team despite their performance. They are considered to have the loudest and largest fan base in the FL.
Despite their loyalty, there have been several instances where the fanbase voiced their displeasure with the club. In the 2019 season, fans threw Caps jerseys onto the field to show their disapproval of the team's poor performances during the 2019 season, when they were ranked last in the Can-Am League for the entire season. Similarly, during the early season of the 2019, which overlaps with the playoffs of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...
's
Quebec Remparts
The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...
, fans were heard sarcastically chanting "Let's go Remparts!" and clapping alongside the chant as a sign of their farcical shift in priority from an under-performing team to the more successful playoff-bound 2019 Quebec Remparts season.
In addition to
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
, many fans live throughout the province of Quebec and Ontario, including the
Ottawa Valley and
Gatineau
Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...
,
Greater Montreal
Greater Montreal (, ) is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec and the second most populous in Canada after Greater Toronto. In 2015, Statistics Canada identified Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as with a population of 4,02 ...
, and the
Mauricie
Mauricie () is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making tourism in Mauricie popular. The region has a land area of 35,860.05 km2 (13,845.64 sq mi) and a popu ...
. As a result, Caps' away games at the
Ottawa Stadium in
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, and
Stade Quillorama in
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
host a more shared crowd. This is due in part to the Caps fans in those areas, and those cities' proximity to the
Quebec City metropolitan area.
Rivalries
During their 25 years of existence, the Capitales have had several rivalries with some
Can-Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987.
The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variet ...
and
Frontier League
The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...
franchises during the regular season, and continuing into the playoffs. Today, the Capitales have some intense rivalries with the New Jersey Jackals, New York Boulders, and the Ottawa Titans. In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Capitales have also developed a rivalry with the Trois-Rivières Aigles, as well as a minor geographic rivalry with the
Ottawa Rapidz in 2008.
New Jersey Jackals

Both teams are started operations in 1999. The Capitales played their first playoff series against the Jackals in 2010, winning the series 3–0. From 2010 to 2023, the two teams played in six postseason series against one another, including three Can-Am League championship series.
The rivalry has since been renewed from the 2023 Frontier League playoffs, which saw the Capitales rally from a 3–1 third-inning deficit to defeat the Jackals, 15–4, and advance to the Frontier League Championship Series.
Ottawa Titans

The rivalry between the Ottawa Titans and the Capitales is the fiercest in the FL, featuring two clubs that were active since the last Can-Am League expansion in 2015, when the Titans were formerly known as the
Ottawa Champions. Since 2022, the rivalry was an embodiment of a larger
culture war
A culture war is a form of cultural conflict (metaphorical " war") between different social groups who struggle to politically impose their own ideology (moral beliefs, humane virtues, and religious practices) upon mainstream society, or upon ...
between
English Canada
English Canada comprises that part of the population within Canada, whether of British origin or otherwise, that speaks English.
The term ''English Canada'' is also used for any of the following:
*Describing all the provinces of Canada ...
and
French Canada
Francophone Canadians or French-speaking Canadians are citizens of Canada who speak French, and sometimes refers only to those who speak it as their first language. In 2021, 10,669,575 people in Canada or 29.2% of the total population spoke Fren ...
. The Titans have won 49 games over Québec, while the Capitales have won 76 games against Ottawa, respectively.
The rivalry started in 2015 when the Ottawa Champions were introduced in the Can-Am League as an expansion team. Both teams played for five seasons against each other, with eight series of three to four games per season. After the 2019 season, the Can-Am League merged with the Frontier League. The Champions were not invited to take part, but it was not immediately clear if they would fold or go on hiatus as former Champions' owner Miles Wolff, looked to sell the team. He could not find a buyer, and the club remained inactive for 11 months. In September 2020, the FL decided to expand to Ottawa, and an ownership group led by
Sam Katz and the
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) is a professional sports and commercial real estate management group based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The primary holdings of the company are a pair of professional sports franchises: the Ottawa Redb ...
, finally bought the team and renamed it to the Titans. The rivalry became intradivisional once again in 2022 when the Titans were introduced in the FL.
Both teams have already faced each other twice in a playoff series, in 2022 and 2024, with Québec defeating the Ottawa Titans 2 games to 1 in the FLDS, both times. Due in part to the number of Caps fans living in
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
and
Gatineau
Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...
, and in part to Ottawa's relative proximity to Quebec City and the province of Quebec, Capitales–Titans games at
Ottawa Stadium in Ottawa typically hold a high amount of Caps fans.
Trois-Rivières Aigles
The modern
Trois-Rivières Aigles entered the Can-Am League in 2013, which sparkled a significant rivalry for the Capitales. The rivalry, also known as the ''Battle of Quebec,'' is mainly due to the 85-kilometre distance between the two home fields (
Stade Canac and
Stade Quillorama, respectively). They are the only two FL teams located in the province of Quebec. The teams compete in the same division and meet frequently during regular season games. The rivalry has been described as one of the FL's top rivalries. Due in part to the number of Caps fans living near or in
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
, and in part to Trois-Rivières' relative proximity to Quebec City, Capitales–Aigles games at
Stade Quillorama in Trois-Rivières typically hold at least 70 percent of Caps fans.
Ottawa Rapidz (2008)
The rivalry between the Ottawa Rapidz and the Québec Capitales was due to the 374-km distance between their home stadiums (
Ottawa Baseball Stadium and
Stade Municipal, respectively). During that time, the Rapidz were the Capitales closest team in distance, making them the fiercest rivals during that time.
Season-by-season record
As of September 14, 2024
*In 2021, Équipe Québec, a combination of the Ottawa Titans, Québec Capitales and Trois-Rivières Aigles, played in the Frontier League. With a record of 52–44, they finished first place in the Atlantic Division, but lost the FLDS to the
Washington Wild Things 3 games to 2.
Current roster
Broadcasting and stadium entertainment
Capitales games can be heard on
CHYZ-FM, and through the streaming platform HomeTeam Network with their play-by-play broadcasters Pierre Blais and Marc-André Lord. At many home games, the fans are entertained both outside and inside Stade Canac with myriad entertainers – live music, DJ music, giveaways and promotions. Between innings, the entertainment varies with on-field contests with their mascot Capi, youth games, t-shirt giveaways, promotions and many more. The team's public address announcer is Sébastien Dubois-Bergeron, and their stadium’s DJ is Daniel Sylvain, better known as “DJ Dan” as his stage name. DJ Dan brings 16 years of experience as the DJ of the Capitales, and he is also the DJ of the
Quebec Remparts
The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...
since 1999. He keeps the fans loud and entertained no matter what if the team win or loses. He works in collaboration with the press box crew, along with the team’s in-game host Yannick Tremblay, also known as “Pee-Wee”.
Notable alumni
*
Mitch Lyden (1999)
*
José Núñez (2001)
*
Darryl Motley (2002)
*
Jeff Harris (2003–2004)
*
Juan Melo (2004)
*
Marty Janzen (2005)
*
Éric Cyr (2006, 2008)
*
Éric Gagné (2009)
*
Pete Laforest (2009, 2010–2012)
*
Andrew Albers (2010)
*
Troy Cate (2010)
*
Steve Green (2010)
*
Max St. Pierre (2012)
*
Jonathan Malo (2012–2019)
*
Kalian Sams
Kalian Rivalino Sams (born 25 August 1986) is a Dutch former professional baseball outfielder who reached Triple-A in Minor League Baseball and played professionally in other countries. He also played more than 100 games for the Netherlands nati ...
(2015–2018)
*
Yordan Manduley (2015–2019, 2022)
*
Jorge Reyes (2016)
*
Yurisbel Gracial (2016–2017)
*
Marcus Knecht (2016–2017)
*
Jordan Lennerton (2016–2018)
*
Matt Marksberry (2017)
*
Lázaro Blanco (2017–2018)
*
Josh Vitters (2018)
*
Tyson Gillies (2019)
*
Dustin Molleken (2019)
*
Jonathan de Marte (2019)
*
Scott Richmond (2019)
*
Andrew Case (2021–2022)
*
Gift Ngoepe (2021)
*
Evan Rutckyj (2021, 2023)
*
Jared Mortensen (2021)
*
Tristan Pompey (2022)
*
Greg Bird (2023)
*
Jesmuel Valentín (2023–2024)
*
Juremi Profar (2023–2024)
*
Brandon Marklund (2024)
See also
*
List of baseball teams in Canada
The following is a list of current professional, semi-professional, college, and collegiate summer baseball teams in Canada. It includes the leagues they play in and titles won.
Professional Major League Baseball American League
Minor League Ba ...
References
External links
*
{{Baseball in Canada
Frontier League teams
Baseball in Quebec City
Baseball teams in Quebec
Sports clubs and teams in Quebec City
Baseball teams established in 1999
1999 establishments in Quebec