The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian 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 has enjoyed much success over its long history.[1] Teams are run similar to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions, using wooden bats and minor league specification baseballs. Teams play 42 scheduled games from early May to late-August. The playoffs are best-of-five series with the championship series typically played around Labour Day. The most recent champions are the Barrie Baycats who defeated the Guelph Royals 4-0 in the 2024 Dominico Cup Final.
History
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) was founded in 1919 with just four cities represented — Galt, Guelph, Stratford and Kitchener, and is the oldest amateur men's league in Canada.[2] During the early years, the league expanded to include the cities of Waterloo, Brantford, Preston, London, and St. Thomas.
It was previously known as the Intercounty Major Baseball League and the Senior Intercounty Baseball League. Teams compete for the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy, which is awarded to the league champions. The trophy is named for the late owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, husband and wife Jack and Lynne Dominico.
On December 3, 2024, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had signed Ayami Sato, making her the first female player in the league as well as the first female player chosen to play professional baseball in Canada.[3]
Labatt Park in London, Ontario, home of the London Majors.
All-Star Game
On July 8, 2006, in Barrie, the league's New Era IBL All-Star Classic game between the Barrie Baycats and the IBL All-Stars; Barrie won 7–2.
