The last time the Toronto Blue Jays made it to the World Series, 32 years ago, they had support from St. Catharines, Ont., and their team, fondly known as the Baby Jays.
The Toronto MLB organization established the St. Catharines Blue Jays in 1985 to reach fans outside of Toronto. A year later, St. Catharines joined the New York-Penn League (NYPL) and was linked with Toronto for ten years. This city became a crucial place for players aiming to advance to the major leagues, and many succeeded.
St. Catharines is typically recognized more for hockey and rowing, but its closeness to Toronto and its Community Park field made it a great spot for baseball. The park met all requirements for St. Catharines to compete in the NYPL, which was a Class A short-season minor league that ran from 1939 until 2020.
The minor league Blue Jays kicked off their first season in 1986 at Community Park, now known as George Taylor Field, in St. Catharines. (Cathy Teshima Collection/St. Catharines Museum)
“This league is what was colloquially called an ‘up or out’ league,” said David Siegel, a retired political science professor at Brock University who now contributes to the Society for American Baseball Research.
“Either you’re good enough to move up to the next level or you’re out of baseball.”
Siegel dug through microfilms of newspapers at the libraries in St. Catharines and Welland, searching for any records about minor league teams in Niagara Region.
He also frequently attended games in St. Catharines.
“For some players, this was their first stop after playing college baseball in the U. S.,” Siegel noted. “It was also an opportunity for Latin players.”
One such player was Carlos Delgado. He began his journey with St. Catharines as a catcher and designated hitter before transitioning to first base and other roles with Toronto, helping them secure their second consecutive World Series title in 1993.
WATCH | World Series champ Carlos Delgado recalls early playing days in St. Catharines:
Ex-Toronto slugger Carlos Delgado on his early years in pro baseball, as a St. Catharines Blue Jay
Here’s what made Toronto Blue Jays legend Carlos Delgado say ‘what the hell is going on here’ when he came to play for the Toronto Blue Jays’ single-A affiliate in St. Catharines as a 16-year-old.
“Short-season A is the lowest level of the minor leagues, but it was clear when he was at that level that he was going to be a star,” said Siegel.
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Carlos Delgado became part of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame after being a catcher with the St. Catharines Blue Jays between 1989-1990 before making his mark in MLB and joining Toronto’s World Series-winning squad in 1993.(Diona Macalinga/CBC)
Delgado along with numerous other minor leaguers stayed with foster families while living in St. Catharines.
“They took us over to Niagara Falls one day and ordered french fries topped with vinegar! I thought I’d lost my mind!”
Other former Baby Jays who later celebrated winning a World Series alongside Toronto include Pat Hentgen and Rob Butler.
The memories hold special meaning for Delgado since he got inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame back in2015; they take him backto warm times spent duringhis early daysin Canada.
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George Taylor Fieldon Seymour Avenue once servedas Community Park , which hostedgamesfor St. C ath ar ines Blue Jays. Currently undergoing renovations, thepark retainsitsoriginalblue seatsfromwhenit operatedwiththeaffiliatedteam.(Diona Macalinga/CBC )![]()
News regardingthe establishmentofthe St. Catharine s Blue Jays surfacedlatein1985 accordingto recordsfromthe St. Catherin es Museum.(Cathy Teshima Collection /St. Catherine s Museum )
The Baby Jayswere alsopromotedthroughlocalbusiness ads print promotions. The formationof afan club allowed supporters tocater sportsandsocial activitieswith membership fees rangingbetween $10-$15.
Nonetheless , Siegel reminiscedabout Dairy Queenbeingtheonlybusinessthat really benefitedwhentheteamdrewlarge crowds.![]()
Themascotforthe St. C ath ar ines Blue Jaysoftenappearedin locals promoting businesses.(Cathy Teshima Collection/St. Catherin es Museum )![]()
An encouragingpeopleto join th e B lue Jay fanclub featuredinthe team’sprogramfor1987.(Cathy Teshima Collect ion/St Catherine s M useum )
Jordan Clark ,37, g rew upwitnessing games playedby Baby Jays untiltheywere rebrandedas S t.-Catharine s S tompers backin1995. Hecrafted afacebookfanpage celebratingthes t ompers softballteamwherehe participates.
“Comingbackhereseeingthestadium , I feelit’smuch smaller thanwhen Iwas achild,”Clarknoted whileglancingoverblue seatscharacteristicofyesteryear’s Blue Jay culture.“It’sdefinitelya pieceofheritage.”
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Lifelongresident Jordan Clarkstandsnearbleacherslocatedat George Taylor Fieldonceknownas Community Park – home forthe Baby Jays.(Diona Macalinga/CBC )
“The late[1980s], early90s wasthetalkoftown ,”Clark reflected.“Evenaftergames whenyou’dgoshoppingnextday people woulddiscussitcatchingupon howmatches unfolded.”
Ex-Toronto slugger Carlos Delgado on his early years in pro baseball, as a St. Catharines Blue Jay
Here’s what made Toronto Blue Jays legend Carlos Delgado say ‘what the hell is going on here’ when he came to play for the Toronto Blue Jays’ single-A affiliate in St. Catharines as a 16-year-old.
“Short-season A is the lowest level of the minor leagues, but it was clear when he was at that level that he was going to be a star,” said Siegel.
Delgado fondly remembers his time with Baby Jays
Delgado, now 53, recalls his minor league days with St. Catharines during 1989 and 1990 like it happened yesterday. “A young kid from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico suddenly finds himself in Canada,” Delgado shared with CBC this week. “All I knew was that it was close to Niagara Falls.” “We didn’t even know where St. Catharines was located; it felt like it marked the beginning of my dream.” A lot of eager teenagers came to this city hoping to kickstart their baseball careers just like Delgado did. “We rented bikes just so we could get from our house to the stadium,” he recalled proudly. “To us back then that felt like we were stepping onto a grand stage.” “The stadium wasn’t huge by any means; however, fans showed up,” said Delgado with nostalgia.”Every big leaguer – we look back at our careers and truly value those experiences.”The drive toward enhancing sports tourism
The Cityof St. Catharinestook steps tomake improvementsat whatwasthen Community Park (now called George Taylor Field) behind Royal Imperial Collegiateof Canada. An affiliate teamfromthe Blue Jayscomingto town sparked hopesfor establishing abaseballstadiumdowntown St. Catharin es. A brochure in1986toutedthe Baby Jay s highlightinghowtheycouldimprove St. Catharine’s imagein frontof”millionsofpotentialtourists”, aimingto attractthousands oftouristsandteamsattendingbaseball events.From Baby Jaysto S tompers Afternineyears Toronto decidedtosellthe Baby Jaysformilliondollars topursue business ventureslocally. Terry O’Malley, a cleveradvertiserwithin St. c ath ar ines, took initiativetorebrandthe Ba by Jaysto become S tompers, inspiredby Ontario’swinery region. Siegelthoughtnew ownerswantedtokeepteamuntiltheycould sellit toevolvingcorporate investors interestedinstreamliningminorleagueoperations.
Diminishing aspirations forgrowingbaseballstadiumfaded awayasformer Comm unity Parkhadcertainlocationissues. Beingservicabledidn’t equate having great characteristicscomparedtotownfacilities.
This led Stoeger not being shocked whentheminorleagueteam departedfrom Saintcatheri nes following1999.
“I stillhave my S tompers hatthat Ipulloutoccasionally. It [this team]came here then leftbut forthoseoffew realbaseballfans, itwas fantastic.”The St.-Catharine s Bluejays participatedinthe New York-Penn Leaguebetween1986-1995.(Cathy Teshima Collection/St.-Cathari nes Museum)
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