Photo of Labatt Memorial Park
Spring is back and that can only mean one thing. Baseball season is right around the corner. Here in London, baseball has a rich history that dates back over a century. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, London’s very own Labatt Memorial Park is the World’s oldest baseball grounds. It originally opened all the way back in 1877 and seats 5200. The historic stadium is home of the London Majors. The London Majors are an independent minor league baseball team that is a part of the intercounty baseball league. The team was originally founded in 1925 and in 2021 they won their first league championship in 36 years.
YOUR LONDON MAJORS ARE 2021 IBL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/LgmjH7btXg
— London Majors (@londonmajors) October 2, 2021
I recently sat down with Josh Krstulovich, who is a former pitcher for the London Majors and former Toronto Blue Jays employee who is now a NCAA Division 1 coach. He mentions that the history of baseball in London is a reason why he signed to play here. Krstulovich credits fellow Canadian Fergie Jenkins as an inspiration. Fergie Jenkins is the only London Majors alumni to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. When asked about Labatt Memorial Park, Krstulovich had nothing but praise for the iconic stadium. He said that it was an awesome experience and that even the little things were way better than he expected.
The Majors will look to defend their title when they begin their season on May 15th vs the Toronto Maple Leafs (baseball team). However, the Majors first home game of the 2022 season is on May 20th when they host the Kitchener Panthers at the infamous Labatt Park.
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