Ottawa’s hope to have baseball in the city in 2021 were derailed before the train even left the station when the club announced that they would be sitting out the 2021 Frontier League season due to the increasing numbers in COVID-19 and border issues between Canada and the United States.
“With the continued closure of the U.S/Canada border and the uncertainty of when it will reopen, the Ottawa Titans in conjunction with the Frontier League have agreed to make 2022 our inaugural season,” said Titans’ vice-president Regan Katz. “This was not an easy decision, but we believe it is the right decision. We thank our staff, players, coaches, and manager for their commitment to the Ottawa Titans and look forward to seeing them on our field next May. Special thanks to our fans, ticket holders and our corporate sponsors for their tremendous support. We look forward to seeing you all in 2022. The Ottawa Titans will immediately shift focus to getting through this pandemic and preparing for the 2022 season.”
“After having to suspend our 2020 season, we were excited to play 2021 with our full 16 teams and to bring the tremendous market of Ottawa into the Frontier League,” said deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler. “Unfortunately, the continued and understandable impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are causing us to change our plans. Our three Canadian members have proven to be tremendous additions and great partners. We look forward to resuming a full league schedule in 2022.”
The players that have been signed by the three Canadian teams aren’t going to be out of baseball for the most part, thankfully. Canadian players on the Titans, Trois-Rivieres Aigles, and Québec Capitales will make a roster managed by Pat Scalabrini, manager of the Capitales. The rest of the roster will be filled out by players under contract by the Capitales.
The players who remain on the Titans and Aigles were eligible for the dispersal draft that took place yesterday at 4 p.m. and was streamed live on Facebook.
“We wish the Province of Quebec team good luck in 2021 and wish them the best in dealing with the challenges of being a road team,” said Katz.
All of this means that the Titans’ first season in the Frontier League will be delayed until 2022. Unfortunate for the city that won’t let the baseball dream die.