| Thunder Bay Border Cats | |
| League: | Northwoods League |
| Location: | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Stadium: | Port Arthur Stadium |
| Founded: | 2003[1] |
| League Champs: | 2 (2005, 2008) |
| Colors: | Red, black |
| Mascot: | Boomer |
| Manager: | J.M. Kelly |
| Division Champs: | 3 (2005, 2006, 2008) |
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.
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]
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.
| Name | Position | Teams | Status | MLB Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INF | Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays | Retired | 2013-2015 | ||
| INF | Seattle Mariners | Not active | 2010 | ||
| RHP | Pittsburgh Pirates | Retired | 2015-2017 | ||
| 3B | Seattle Mariners | Retired | 2019 | ||
| RHP | Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers | Retired | 2014-2021 | ||
| SS | San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners | Active (AAA) | 2021-2024 | ||
| C | Seattle Mariners | Active (AAA) | 2022 | ||
| RP | New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox | Active (AAA) | 2022-2024 | ||
| RHP | Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians | Active (Released) | 2018-2024 | ||
| RHP | Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks | Retired | 2017-2021 | ||
| OF | Detroit Tigers | Retired | 2021 | ||
| 2B | San Diego Padres | Active (AAA) | 2022-2024 | ||
| RP | Seattle Mariners | Active (IL) | 2022-2023 | ||
| SP | Cincinnati Reds | Active (IL) | 2023 | ||
| SS | Amarillo (AA) | Active | N/A | ||
| Year | League | Div. | W | L | W% | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | North | 31 | 33 | .484 | Mitch Dunn | Did not qualify | |
| 2004 | North | 32 | 32 | .500 | Mitch Dunn | Did not qualify | |
| 2005 | North | 44 | 24 | .647 | Chad Miller | Won championship | |
| 2006 | North | 29 | 38 | .433 | John Herrera | Lost final | |
| 2007 | North | 28 | 40 | .412 | Jared Manske | Did not qualify | |
| 2008 | North | 42 | 26 | .618 | Devin McIntosh | Won championship | |
| 2009 | North | 27 | 41 | .397 | Joel Barta | Did not qualify | |
| 2010 | North | 31 | 38 | .449 | Mike Steed | Did not qualify | |
| 2011 | North | 29 | 40 | .420 | Mike Steed | Did not qualify | |
| 2012 | North | 32 | 37 | .449 | Andy Judkins | Did not qualify | |
| 2013 | North | 21 | 49 | .300 | Dan Holcomb | Did not qualify | |
| 2014 | North | 23 | 49 | .319 | John Hernandez | Did not qualify | |
| 2015 | North | 33 | 38 | .465 | Danny Benedetti | Did not qualify | |
| 2016 | North | 21 | 51 | .282 | Danny Benedetti | Did not qualify | |
| 2017 | North | 27 | 43 | .386 | Mitch Feller | Did not qualify | |
| 2018 | North | 22 | 50 | .306 | Mitch Feller | Did not qualify | |
| 2019 | Great Plains East | 24 | 47 | .338 | Eric Vasquez | Did not qualify | |
| 2023 | Great Plains East | 27 | 41 | .397 | J.M. Kelly | Did not qualify | |
| 2024 | Great Plains East | 35 | 34 | .507 | J.M. Kelly | Did not qualify | |
| TOTAL | -- | -- | 558 | 751 | .426 | -- | -- |