The Hamilton Cardinals are a Canadian baseball team based in Hamilton, Ontario and a member club of the Intercounty Baseball League. Founded in 1958, the club is the second oldest sports team in the city of Hamilton. Many are former major leaguers and minor professionals, as well as current and former NCAA or U Sports players. Home games are played at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium.
The team has gone through several name changes over the years, most recently returning to the Cardinals name, after eight seasons as the Hamilton Thunderbirds. They were named the Thunderbirds when Drew Brady purchased the franchise on January 1, 2005, and the club adopted a new look with revitalized facilities and new uniforms. The Hamilton Cardinals played 1,490 games with a record of 525 wins and 965 losses before becoming the Thunderbirds, and winning the Intercounty title in 1978.
At a press conference on February 1, 2012, the club announced it would again be named the Hamilton Cardinals, because of the club's relationship with the Hamilton Cardinals youth rep program. In late 2013, Gary Molinaro purchased the team and appointed his son JP Molinaro the new team president while also hiring Mike Fortuna as the new general manager.
The team has gone through ownership changes in recent years, first in 2018 when a community ownership group led by Carmen's Group was formed, then again in September 2022 when the ownership structure was changed to include local businessman Eric Spearin as the majority owner with Carmen's Group maintaining a minority position.Shortly after the ownership change, the Hamilton Cardinals unveiled a new primary logo and uniforms for the 2023 season. The new logo features a strong modernized cardinal with a bat over its shoulder featuring a “hammer”-inspired bat weight. The logo emphasizes a new black and red colour scheme. Under Spearin's leadership, the 2023 season heralded significant advancements for the organization, as evidenced by the Cardinals setting new benchmarks in attendance, television viewership, and merchandise sales. On May 21 2023, the Hamilton Cardinals retired #13 in honour of Dean Dicenzo. This was the first jersey number retired in franchise history. On the field, outfielder Tyler Duncan was awarded the franchise's first IBL Most Valuable Player and John Bell Memorial Trophy, boasting a .355 batting average, 6 doubles, 5 triples, a league-leading 16 home runs, and 51 RBIs over all 42 regular season games. Duncan's performance also established new franchise records in home runs and RBIs. Off the field, Spearin's contributions were recognized with the League's Executive of the Year award at the end of the 2023 season. The conclusion of the 2023 season also marked another significant change for the organization, with long-time Manager Dean Castelli stepping down to take on the role of Player Liaison Coordinator within the organization. Len Picota was subsequently appointed as the new Field Manager for the 2024 season.
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