Since 1919, the Kitchener Panthers have played as part of Canada’s Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). However May 10, 2026 will make history for the team, as they play on the opening day of the new Canadian Baseball League (CBL).
The Panthers got off to a hot start in preseason action, battling back from down 6-0 Thursday against the London Majors to win their preseason-opener 9-7. Then Saturday, a Mateo Zeppieri go-ahead home run gave Kitchener a 7-5 win over the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers.
Panthers players and fans will carry that momentum with them on the road, as they travel to Toronto’s Christie Pits on Sunday. The Panthers finished in 8th place in the league standings in 2025, one game behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Despite going 12-9 on the road, the Maple Leafs were only 6-15 at home in 2025, easily the lowest home record in the league. That includes the Kitchener Panthers beating Toronto in last season’s opening day at Christie Pits, that being a competitive 6-5 victory for the road side.
A special surprise awaits fans later in the season, as the Panthers partnered with KW-Oktoberfest in April, announcing an ‘Oktoberfest in July’ themed game, which will see the team don “Berlin Keg Tappers” special-edition uniforms.
The Panthers will follow up Sunday’s road opener with another road contest on Wednesday, when they travel to Hamilton’s Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium to take on the Cardinals in game 2.
Then Jack Couch Park will finally open next Sunday for regular season action, as the Panthers host the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers for an afternoon ballgame starting at 2:05PM. Tickets for that and all Panthers home games can be found at kitchenerpanthers.com.
May 10th’s opening day action can be found on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ YouTube channel, or on the CBL TV app.
Add CityNews Kitchener as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
