Moncton Mets – Four-time Maritime Senior Baseball Champions

• Type: Team
• Sport(s): Baseball
• Year: 2024

This induction into the Maritime Sports Hall of Fame is on behalf of the 1985 – 89 Moncton Mets, but specifically for the two years they won the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League in 1987 and 1988. As this one league represented the entire Maritimes, they became the Maritime title holders for those two years. (NOTE: a Maritime or Atlantic title is the minimum standard for teams to be accepted in the Maritime Hall of Fame.)

In addition to the NB and NS/Maritime titles, they won all four Atlantic tournaments they entered giving them the right to represent the region at the nationals. They quite played well, but finished just out of the medals three times, until 1987, when they earned a bronze medal

Marty Kingston was the announcer for the Mets during these years and a great fan as well, noting he witnessed firsthand the many successes that the team enjoyed, stating: “Their 5-year baseball domination brought much enjoyment to baseball fans in Moncton and great competitive action for fans across the Atlantic Provinces.”

Marty continues: “All of that winning was great, but the interest it generated in young baseball players may have been the very best benefit.  Baseball in the city flourished during this time. Kiwanis Park was filled with upwards of 1,000 to 1,500 fans for home games. Younger local players were inspired to play the game and all loved and to dream of perhaps becoming a Met one day. Young Rhéal Cormier pitched for the Mets during the latter part of this run.”

(We will hear more about Rhéal later in this induction event as this was just his beginning, prior to him pitching in the major leagues in 1991.)

In their years of competition in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia/Maritime, Atlantic tournaments and national championships, the Mets won 170 games and lost 59 – a .742 winning percentage. In all 5 years they were always either winners or were very competitive.

A few players:

Players such as Sandy McCuaig watched the Mets during these years and joined the team in 1992. He went on to play at Husson College in the mid 90’s and in 2008 was inducted into the Husson College Sports Hall of Fame. Luc Belliveau, Mike Belong, Steve McWilliam, Grant Lipscomb and many others came up through the Moncton Minor system and all eventually donned the Mets jersey.

Marty added: The team also gave back to its community. Baseball camps were held by players. Player gave speeches and handed out awards at various schools or end of the year celebrations for various minor teams. Exhibition games were held to raise money to assist younger teams that had won the right to represent Moncton in National events. Those teams included girls as well and other sports; all issues & concepts supported whole-heartedly by the Maritime Hall of Fame