Thunder Bay Border Cats

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league's only Canadian team, their home games are played at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Thunder Bay Border Cats
Information
LeagueNorthwoods League
LocationThunder Bay, Ontario
BallparkPort Arthur Stadium
Founded2003[1]
League championships2 (2005, 2008)
Division championships3 (2005, 2006, 2008)
ColorsRed, black
MascotBoomer
ManagerMike Tallari

The Border Cats have been Northwoods League champions twice, defeating the Madison Mallards two games to one in both 2005 and 2008. They also were in the Northwoods League championship in 2006, but lost to the Rochester Honkers.[2]

As of 2024, the Border Cats have sent 14 players to the major leagues. Matt Mangini was the first to make the jump, playing 11 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2011. Shortstop Jonathan Diaz followed two years later, playing four games with the Boston Red Sox in 2013. Diaz also spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, almost making the team out of spring training. Pitcher Blaine Hardy became a regular in the Detroit Tigers bullpen in 2014. Seth Frankoff pitched in one game for the Chicago Cubs, while A.J. Schugel spent time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Wes Parsons is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays in a relief role.

The Border Cats sat out the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons due to "the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic regarding the Canada-US border closure as well as outdoor gathering numbers".[3] A travel team known as the Minnesota Mud Puppies, based in the Twin Cities region, played the Border Cats' originally scheduled 36 road games during the 2021 season.[4] The Border Cats ultimately returned for the 2023 season.[5]

2009 All-Star Game

The 2009 Northwoods League All-Star Game was held on July 21 in Thunder Bay. This was the first time the All-Star game played in Canada. The guest speaker for the event was Ferguson Jenkins, a Canadian member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The game was won 4-2 by the South Division squad, led by the MVP performance of Kurtis Muller, who went 3-for-5.

Notable active alumni & those reaching Majors
NamePositionTeamsStatusMLB Years
Jonathan DiazINFBoston Red Sox, Toronto Blue JaysRetired2013-2015
Matt ManginiINFSeattle MarinersNot active2010
A.J. SchugelRHPPittsburgh PiratesRetired2015-2017
Ryan Court3BSeattle MarinersRetired2019
Blaine HardyRHPDetroit Tigers, Milwaukee BrewersRetired2014-2021
Jason VoslerSSSan Francisco Giants, Cincinnati RedsActive (AAA)2021-2023
Michael PapierskiCSeattle MarinersActive (AAA)2022
Greg WeissertRPNew York Yankees, Boston Red SoxActive2022-2024
Wes ParsonsRHPAtlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland GuardiansActive2018-2024
Seth FrankoffRHPChicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona DiamondbacksRetired2017-2021
Jacob RobsonOFDetroit TigersRetired2021
Matthew Batten2BSan Diego PadresActive (AAA)2022-2024
Penn MurfeeRPSeattle MarinersActive (IL)2022-2023
Brandon WilliamsonSPCincinnati RedsActive (IL)2023
Andy WeberSSReno (AAA, IL)ActiveN/A
  Reached Majors

Year-by-year records
YearLeagueDiv.WLW%ManagerPlayoffs
2003Northwoods LeagueNorth3133.484Mitch Dunn--
2004Northwoods LeagueNorth3232.500Mitch Dunn--
2005Northwoods LeagueNorth4424.647Chad MillerWon championship
2006Northwoods LeagueNorth2938.433John HerreraLost final
2007Northwoods LeagueNorth2840.412Jared Manske--
2008Northwoods LeagueNorth4226.618Devin McIntoshWon championship
2009Northwoods LeagueNorth2741.397Joel Barta--
2010Northwoods LeagueNorth3138.449Mike Steed--
2011Northwoods LeagueNorth2940.420Mike Steed--
2012Northwoods LeagueNorth3237.449Andy Judkins--
2013Northwoods LeagueNorth2149.300Dan Holcomb--
2014Northwoods LeagueNorth2349.319John Hernandez--
2015Northwoods LeagueNorth3338.465Danny Benedetti--
2016Northwoods LeagueNorth2151.282Danny Benedetti--
2017Northwoods LeagueNorth2743.386Mitch Feller--
2018Northwoods LeagueNorth2250.306Mitch Feller--
2019Northwoods LeagueGreat Plains East2447.338Eric Vasquez--
2023Northwoods LeagueGreat Plains East2741.397J.M. Kelly--
TOTALNorthwoods LeagueNorth/Great Plains East523718.421----

References
  1. Millea, John (July 27, 2004). "Fielding big dreams". Star Tribune.
  2. Milewski, Todd (August 22, 2005). "Mallards Dethroned By Late Run". The Capital Times. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
  3. Reichard, Kevin (March 5, 2021). "Thunder Bay drops out of 2021 Northwoods League season". Ballpark Digest. August Publications.
  4. "Minnesota Mud Puppies". Northwoods League. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. "Border Cats return to field with commanding win". www.tbnewswatch.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.