Brantford Red Sox roots date back more than a century

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

The Brantford Red Sox were born in 1911, over half a decade before the Intercounty Baseball League was founded.

The Red Sox story begins with stops in the Canadian Baseball League, the Michigan-Ontario League and the Ontario League before finally settling in the IBL in 1934.

World War I halted the Canadian Baseball League in 1915 and the Great Depression did the same to the Ontario League in 1930. The IBL has been going strong since 1919.

Since joining the Intercounty circuit the Red Sox have been one of the most successful franchises the league has seen. They took home five straight championships from 1959-1963, only to be topped by another Red Sox team that won six straight titles from 2008-2013. Players such as Lee Delfino, Stefan Strecker and Wayne Forman became household names during the most recent title run.

Big leaguers Scott Thorman and John Axford have also pulled on the Red Sox jersey.

The Sox play their home games at Arnold Anderson Stadium which was dedicated to long time local sports broadcaster Arnold Anderson in 1998. Anderson was in the broadcasting industry for over 50 years. Anyone who has taken in a game at Arnold Anderson Stadium knows to bring their sun glasses or sit along the first or third base side to start the game. The sun beats directly into the batters box causing games to consistently be delayed past their original eight o’clock start time.

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Fans were mesmerized by outfielder Jimmy Wilkes speed during his 10-year career with the Brantford Red Sox that spanned from 1953-1963. Wilkes was so fleet of foot he earned the nickname Seabiscuit after the champion thoroughbred horse.

Wilkes won a Negro League championship with the Newark Eagles in 1946. He played in the Negro Leagues from 1945-1950 before embarking on a career in the Brooklyn Dodgers system. After playing minor league baseball from 1950-1952 he returned to the Negro Leagues with the Indianapolis Clowns, who played out of Buffalo, NY. His stint with the Clowns would eventually lead him to Brantford. During an Ontario tour Wilkes grabbed the attention of the Red Sox. Wilkes was an instrumental part of the five straight championships the Red Sox won from 1959-1963

Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Stead was one of the most dominant pitchers in IBL history. The southpaw took an unusual path to the mound. Stead grew up near Maple Leaf Stadium in Toronto, home of the International League Maple Leafs. He was so enthusiastic about the team and the sport he took on the role of the team mascot. From there he moved on to the bat boy, the batting practice pitcher and eventually player.

Stead toed the rubber in Brantford from 1958-1966. In 1960 he won 12 games and tossed 149 innings. He one-upped himself in 1963 by going 14-1 with a 0.63 ERA. The southpaw finished his IBL starting 151 games, recording 104 wins, throwing 1,365 innings pitched, with 116 complete games and 25 shutouts. He was a 10 time all-star and was named MVP four times.

Canada came calling in 1967 and Stead answered, playing for the first national team at the Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg. He also won a Canadian title with Team Ontario at the 1969 Canada Summer Games.

Alf Payne was one of the most beloved Red Sox of all-time. Not only did he get it done on the field, leading the team to a championship in 1981, he endeared himself to fans off of it. Payne wore many hats during his time in Brantford. He was a player, a manager and general manager.

During his playing career he hit .316 with 34 home runs and 173 RBIs. He was the league home run champion in 1971 and 1972, while also leading the league in RBIs in ’72. Payne also represented Canada, taking part in the 1975 Pan-Am Games as a player. He was later a coach at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Current

The Red Sox haven't been able to regain their form from their run of six straight championships that ended in 2013. They finished the 2018 campaign 13-23 and were dropped in the first round of the playoffs three games to none by the Kitchener Panthers. The team will look to return to form in 2019.