Baseball Tournaments in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is displaying a number of artifacts related to the history of baseball in the province with a particular focus on international tournaments that have been held in Saskatchewan.

The World Youth Baseball Championships were held in Kindersley in 1984. The three trophies received by the medalists are each on display including the championship trophy presented to Cuba by Cas Pielak, the Baseball Canada president. Pielak was inducted into the SSHF in 1989 and remains involved to this day, serving as CEO of the 2023 Baseball Canada Cup in Regina.

The World Youth Baseball Championship trophy won by Cuba in 1984.

The World Children’s Baseball Fair was hosted in Regina in 2000 and featured 255 boys and girls taking part from 25 different countries.

In addition to being a baseball tournament, the Fair is also meant to be a cultural exchange that allows boys and girls from around the world to meet each other on and off the diamond. As part of that cultural exchange, teams brought souvenirs that captured the diversity of the competing provinces and countries.

Souvenirs from teams that competed at the 2000 World Children’s Baseball Fair.

The World Children’s Baseball Fair was initiated by two of the game’s great home run hitters: Japan’s Sadaharu Oh and American Hank Aaron. The first event was held in 1990.

Also included in the exhibit is the Leader Cup, the Amateur Baseball Championship of Saskatchewan, which was contested between 1922 and 1937. The trophy pre-dates the formation of the Saskatchewan Amateur Baseball Association which accepted the trophy on August 30, 1930.

The Leader Cup

Regina is hosting the Little League Canadian Championship from August 1-10, with the Baseball Canada Cup following from August 9-13. These two events continue the province’s rich history of hosting significant baseball tournaments.