London Majors
Are Majors true contenders?
Around the Diamond: Big bats de Oleo, Reichstein coming around; First look at lefty Coombes; Joseph the IBL’s ‘Ironman’; Plaz producing, enjoying everday role.
Weekend offers big Barrie test for Majors
Around the Diamond: Champ Garner making big first impression; London lineup more like 2022 than 2023; Bullpen steps up vs. Brantford; Majors battling some injuries.
Upstart Majors showing good signs at plate
Around the Diamond: Bounce-back win a good sign; Jose Arias working to find his groove; Mosher, Osika give Majors infield depth; More movement on the basepaths.
New-look Majors off to strong start
Around the Diamond: Kaiden Cardoso’s bat turning heads early; Payano’s performance crucial in ‘24; Is Travis Keys pleasant surprise on mound?; de Oleo picks up where he left off. Our latest news & notes
‘The Chicken’ celebrates 50 years
London-born Ted Giannoulas pioneered the on-field mascot. The ‘class clown’ from the Forest City became the sports world’s most recognizable performer: The Chicken. This spring marks 50 years since he first put on the suit.
Boon the pitching face of a franchise
Owen Boon, a First Team All-Star in 2023, has been the leading London Majors arm for years, including helping the team win two IBL titles. But has he thrown his last pitch?
Knights face Conference test vs. Rangers
Knights turn tide with OT wins
Lightning crashes: London calls it quits on BSL, Forest City
London looks to get offense going
Subscribe to Our newsletter
Stay connected with Gameday London in your inbox.
Subscribe to Gameday London
About the Majors
Founded in 1925, the London Majors are an amateur baseball team that competes in the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL), the top summer league in Canada since 1919. They play their home games at Labatt Memorial Park, the oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world. Going under different names for their first 50 seasons, London’s Intercounty entry won 11 league championships. The team adopted the Majors nickname for good in 1975.
That same year, the Majors won their 12th (and most recent) league title, led by former major league pitcher Mike Kilkenny and manager Roy McKay. In 1984 and 1985, the team was headlined by Hall-of-Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins, who had recently retired from the MLB.
In 2004, under new ownership (Scott Dart), the Majors reached their first Intercounty final since 1982, losing to the Guelph Royals. In 2005, Roop Chanderdat was brought in as co-owner and general manager. In 2006, he also took over managing duties. Under Chanderdat, the Majors have reached the IBL final three times, most recently in 2014. The team has also won the pennant race (first place in regular season) in 2008 and 2016.
In 2017, Chanderdat became the franchise’s winningest manager, surpassing McKay’s previous record of 257 wins. In 2019, he passed the 300-win milestone. That same season, long-time Major and fan-favourite Cleveland Brownlee, the franchise’s home run leader, reached the 100 home-run mark.