Sports

Orangeville Bengals and Challengers players trade local diamonds for Rogers Centre seats

August 6, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Chris Perrotte

More than 300 members of the Orangeville Bengals baseball community took their love of the game from the local diamond to the Rogers Centre, cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays during a special team outing on Aug. 2.
Bengals players and their families attended the Jays’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the program’s annual trip to Toronto, now in its third year. A portion of ticket proceeds supported equipment and registration fees for the Orangeville & Headwaters Minor Baseball Association (OHMBA), which operates the Bengals program.

In addition to the Bengals players, members of the league’s Challenger Baseball program won the opportunity to watch the Blue Jays play against the Texas Rangers from Jay Cares Box seats on June 28. Watching the game live was especially meaningful for athletes from the Challenger Baseball program, which provides opportunities for players with disabilities to participate in the sport. For many Challenger athletes, it was their first opportunity to attend a Major League Baseball game in person.

“We had won the opportunity to be at the game with our Challenger team who for most would never have the ability to be at a normal game. This opportunity was the first for most and after the event all the parents were thrilled as they were not sure if they could ever attend a game,” said Joshua Cabral, vice-president of the OHMBA’s house league and 13U Select head coach.

For the Bengals, seeing their favourite Toronto Blue Jays players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a special experience. For 13-year-old Logan, who plays catcher for the Bengals, his favourite player is fellow catcher Alejandro Kirk, who he enjoyed watching in-person.

Cabral said one of the most memorable moments came before the first pitch, when players arrived and took in the atmosphere.

“The most memorable moment for me is honestly the beginning, watching all those kids with beaming smiles walking down the aisle and looking up and seeing a bunch of Bengals jerseys and perhaps some teammates excited for the game to begin,” Cabral enthused. “For the kids, I think George Springer’s triple had everyone on their feet.”

The outing also gave Bengals players and families an opportunity to connect away from the field as the season approaches its final weeks.

Coaches hope the experience of seeing the Jays live teaches players that baseball is a game of constant improvement, even at the highest level. They also hope that seeing professional players compete inspires them to continue chasing their own dreams.

Even though the Jays lost 5-1 in their Aug. 2 game, the Bengals players enjoyed every aspect of the game, participating in the endless crowd waves and cheering their team right until the last pitch.

Because it was Jr. Jays Sunday, players who were 13 and under were given the opportunity to run the bases on the field, which most players did.

Next on the calendar for the Bengals rep teams will be participation in the York Simcoe Baseball Association playdowns.

The final weekend in August is known as the Champions Weekend. Playoffs will begin for the house league teams, who will compete until the final weekend. A champion will be crowned in each division on Aug. 30, with their name etched forever on the trophy.

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