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| 1912 Brantford Red Sox of the Canadian Baseball League |
The Brantford Red Sox were founded in 1911 when they joined the Canadian Baseball League. Brantford's first game took place on May 19, 1911 vs. Berlin (now Kitchener). An excerpt from the May 3, 1911 Brantford Expositor provides this history:
"The season will open on Wednesday May 17 at Guelph, St. Thomas, and Berlin, and May 19 at London, Brantford, and Hamilton. The holidays were split up between the various clubs, with the season closing on September 16. One hundred and one games will be played, 55 in each town"
In 1915 the Canadian Baseball League folded due to World War I, and after a short hiatus the Red Sox played in the Michigan-Ontario League from 1919 to 1922. After another break the Red Sox joined the Ontario League in 1930, which folded due to the Great Depression. However, they had a resurgence as an intermediate "A" team known as the Red Sox and quickly became a power, winning both the League and the Ontario championships in 1931 and 1933.
Meanwhile, Brantford made its debut into the Intercounty League with two teams - the senior Veritys and intermediate Emma Gees. At the time, the Intercounty League administered three divisions (junior, intermediate, and senior) and Brantford fielded teams in all divisions at various times. By 1933, the intermediate and senior Intercounty teams had taken on the Red Sox moniker.
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| 1959 Brantford Red Sox |
From 1946 to the present, the Red Sox have been 10 time IBL pennant winners - 1950, 1951, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1982, 1983, 2010, 2012, and 2013. The Red Sox have won fifteen IBL championships to date - including a record setting 6 consecutive championships from 2008 to 2013.
Brantford's first dynasty began in 1959. The Red Sox rejoined the IBL in 1958, having left to play in the Great Lakes Niagara league. They followed up their 8th place finish in 1958 by rebounding to win the league championship in 1959. They would go on to win 5 consecutive IBL titles from 1959 to 1963. After a last place finish in 1964, Brantford would come back to win one last title for this era in 1965.
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1980's Brantford Red Sox
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The Red Sox reached the IBL finals several times in the 70's and 80's, and won the IBL championship again in 1981. But a new Brantford dynasty would start to take root early in the new century. The Red Sox reached the IBL finals again in 2003, before finally becoming league champions once again in 2006. In 2007 Brantford was defeated in the IBL finals by Toronto. Then, Brantford would go on to win a record-setting six straight IBL championships, from 2008 to 2013. The 2013 championship would prove to be the most dramatic, with Brantford coming back from a 3 games to 0 deficit in the championship series vs. Barrie. This championship capped off a nine year run that was unprecedented in league history. The only playoff series loss Brantford had suffered from 2006 to 2013 was in the 2007 IBL Finals.
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| 2013 IBL Champion Brantford Red Sox |
The Brantford Red Sox play out of Arnold Anderson Stadium at Cockshutt Park in Brantford, Ontario. Formerly known as Agricultural Park, the park was deeded to the City of Brantford by the family of Ignatius Cockshutt in his honour. The main diamond at Cockshutt Park was dedicated in the name of Arnold Anderson, a local radio announcer, in 1998.
The Intercounty Baseball League season runs from May to September each year. For more history on the Intercounty Baseball League, visit theibl.ca/history
Sources:
Intercounty Baseball League, 100 Seasons Strong - Anne Chamberlain and Paul DePasquale, Historians
Intercounty Baseball League 2004 Information Guide & Record Book
