Baseball in Quebec this week: top-notch baseball right from the start

The wait is finally over, as the baseball season is officially underway in Quebec.

Let's start with the Frontier League, where the Capitales kicked off their season in Ottawa in front of a record crowd of 10,278 spectators. Patrick Scalabrini's team won the first game 6-4 before losing the next day by a score of 4-3. The Titans ultimately won the season's opening series with a 15-10 victory in the final game on Sunday afternoon. Kyle Crowl stole the show with a grand slam in that game. Following this first weekend of action, the Capitales released pitcher Dan Galef. Quebec returns to action this week with a road trip to face the Down East Bird Dawgs.

The Eagles, however, kicked off their season last Saturday in Illinois with a 5-4 loss. A doubleheader then awaited Jonathan Albaladejo's squad to conclude the series against the Windy City ThunderBolts. The first game went the Eagles' way with a decisive 13-0 victory, thanks to the offensive contributions of Isaac Nunez and Edgardo Villegas, who each drove in four runs. The next game slipped away from Trois-Rivières with a 2-1 loss. The pitching staff performed well despite the setback, and Charles Lefebvre recorded three strikeouts in the defeat. The Mauricie team now faces a major challenge as they travel to Schaumburg to take on the Boomers this week. It's worth noting that the Boomers were last year's finalists.

The action in the LBMQ began even before the first game. In fact, the big news came straight from Victoriaville with the signing of Pier-Olivier Boucher. The former Atlanta Braves draft pick joins an already seasoned team and will be a major draw throughout the league next season. It's worth noting that Boucher was the first Quebecer selected in the 2023 MLB draft.

In fact, the Cactus hosted the St. Jean Pirates for their opening game. The home team ultimately fell 5-3. The Pirates' international players stood out on the mound, and veteran François Lafrenière earned the save. The Granby Warriors, for their part, hosted the Acton Vale Beavers, and the visitors won the game 2-1. David Gauthier notably stood out in the victory with a double. Finally, the free game between Sherbrooke and Coaticook was ultimately won by the Big Bill 10-6. Elsewhere, despite a loss to the Cardinals, Thetford pitcher Matt Marsh struck out 12 batters. You're invited to head to various stadiums across Quebec this coming weekend to catch more exciting LBMQ games.

Meanwhile, for those who still doubted the caliber of baseball played in the Puribec League, here's a compelling argument. The Rimouski team will now feature All-Star Caio De Araujo. The Brazilian pitcher brings an impressive resume, having recently represented his home country at the last World Baseball Classic. The league's 48th season kicks off this coming weekend. You can tune in to CIEL-FM starting at 7:30 p.m. to catch the first game of the season, a matchup between Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup scheduled for Friday.

Junior-age players will also take the field on Friday, May 15. The LBJÉQ will now be known as the Rodger Brulotte League in honor of our dear departed. A total of 49 games are scheduled between the league's 13 teams. The province's top young players deserve your support throughout the summer of 2026, as they represent a league that is now 79 years old.

• More than 1,700 youth are registered for baseball in the Mauricie region.
• The former Expos tour will stop in St-Jean, St-Jean-de-Matha, Pierrefonds, and Prévost.
• Maxime Blain and Sam Ellis are currently at the Canadian junior team's training camp.

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