The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Northern League from 1994 until 2010. The Goldeyes were champions of the Northern League in 1994. They are also three-time champions of the American Association; having won in 2012, and back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. The team is named after the goldeye, a fish usually served as a smoked delicacy and commonly called Winnipeg goldeye.
History
There have been two separate and distinct baseball teams based out of Winnipeg to use the Goldeyes name, each playing in different incarnations of the Northern League. They first played in the original Northern League from 1954 until 1964. During that time, the Goldeyes were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and they won the league championship three times (1957, 1959, and 1960). The Goldeyes returned to the Short Season-A Northern League for one season, 1969, as an affiliate of the expansion Kansas City Royals, but they did not return in 1970, and the entire league shut down after the 1971 season.
The Goldeyes name was resurrected in 1994 when the independent league Rochester Aces of the new Northern League relocated to Winnipeg. It was decided the team would take on the name of the former Winnipeg team in honor of the past. In their inaugural season in Winnipeg, the new Goldeyes captured the Northern League championship.
The Goldeyes became the longest tenured franchise in the Northern League following the departure of the St. Paul Saints, Sioux City Explorers, and Sioux Falls Canaries to the breakaway American Association in 2005; however, the team would jump to the American Association after the 2010 season. The Goldeyes captured their first American Association championship in 2012, sweeping the Wichita Wingnuts in the finals.
The Goldeyes fueled their rivalry with Wichita in 2016, when they defeated the Wingnuts in game five in Wichita for their second American Association championship. Next season, the teams would meet again; this matchup looked as if the Wingnuts won the series in game four after a ground-out won the game and the team began celebrating on the mound. However, the umpire had called a balk and the strike was re-thrown; the Goldeyes tied the game later in the at-bat and forced a marathon 17-inning game. This was the longest game in American Association history, which they won to play a game five. The Goldeyes would seal back-to-back championships with an 18–2 victory over Wichita at home in Winnipeg.
In 2020, the league announced that the Goldeyes would compete as one of six teams in a condensed 60-game season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they would not play games at Shaw Park, and were instead based at Newman Outdoor Field (thus sharing a home field with the Fargo Moorhead RedHawks). Due to continued border restrictions, the Goldeyes announced plans to initially play home games during the 2021 season out of The Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee, the former home of the Jackson Generals. However, Jackson Mayor Scott Conger notified the teams that the Generals lost their authority to manage the city-owned ballpark when they lost their affiliation with Minor League Baseball and that they were issued an eviction notice to leave the stadium after May 30, nine days after the Goldeyes' May 21 home opener. On June 1, the Goldeyes entered into a new license agreement with the city to continue use of the facility. On July 22, the Goldeyes were granted permission from the federal and provincial governments to return to Shaw Park for games beginning on August 3.
Stadium
From 1994 to 1998, the Goldeyes played their homes games at Winnipeg Stadium, a Canadian football stadium retrofitted for baseball. The team moved into CanWest Global Park (now Blue Cross Park), their own baseball-only facility, prior to the 1999 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Goldeyes played its 2020 season home games at Newman Outdoor Field, and April–July home games in the 2021 season at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Season-by-season records First Half Second Half Overall Season League Division W–L Finish W–L Finish W–L Win% Playoffs 1994 NL N/A 16–24 5th 27–13 1st 43–37 .538 Won championship 1995 NL N/A 25–17 2nd 22–21 3rd 47–38 .553 Lost championship series 1996 NL West 25–17 2nd 25–17 2nd 50–34 .595 Lost divisional series 1997 NL West 29–12 1st 24–18 2nd 53–30 .639 Lost championship series 1998 NL West 25–18 2nd 33–10 1st 58–28 .674 Lost division series 1999 NL West 28–15 1st 20–23 3rd 48–38 558 Lost championship series 2000 NL West 24–19 3rd 24–19 2nd 48–38 .558 Lost Central semi-final 2001 NL North 29–16 1st 23–22 1st 52–38 .578 Lost championship series 2002 NL North 28–17 1st 28–17 1st 56–34 .622 Lost championship series 2003 NL East 26–18 2nd 29–16 1st 55–34 .618 Lost championship series 2004 NL North 26–21 3rd 30–18 2nd 56–39 .589 Did not qualify 2005 NL North 22–25 4th 25–23 4th 47–48 .495 Did not qualify 2006 NL North 27–21 2nd 25–23 2nd 52–44 .542 Lost West final 2007 NL North 27–20 2nd 25–23 2nd 52–43 .547 Lost Division Finals 2008 NL N/A 51–45 3rd N/A N/A 51–45 .531 Lost semi-final 2009 NL N/A 55–41 2nd N/A N/A 55–41 .573 Lost semi-final 2010 NL N/A 46–53 6th N/A N/A 46–53 .465 Did not qualify 2011 AA North 60–40 1st N/A N/A 60–40 .600 Lost Division Finals 2012 AA North 55–45 2nd N/A N/A 55–45 .550 Won championship 2013 AA North 56–44 2nd N/A N/A 56–44 .560 Did not qualify 2014 AA North 63–37 1st N/A N/A 63–37 .630 Lost division series 2015 AA North 47–52 2nd N/A N/A 47–52 .475 Did not qualify 2016 AA North 58–42 2nd N/A N/A 58–42 .580 Won championship 2017 AA North 62–38 1st N/A N/A 62–38 .620 Won championship 2018 AA North 41–59 5th N/A N/A 41–59 .410 Did not qualify 2019 AA North 57–43 4th N/A N/A 57–43 .570 Did not qualify2020AAN/A29–314thN/AN/A29–31.483 Did not qualify2021AANorth50–494thN/AN/A50–49.505 Did not qualify2022AAWest53–473rdN/AN/A53–47.530Lost division series2023AAWest43–576thN/AN/A43–57.430Did not qualify2024AAWest56–431stN/AN/A56–43.566Lost championship series2025AAWest41–586thN/AN/A41–58.414Did not qualify
Playoffs 1994 season: Defeated Sioux City 3–1 to win championship 1995 season: Lost to St. Paul 3–1 in championship 1996 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 2–1 in semifinals 1997 season: Defeated Fargo-Moorhead 3–2 in semifinals; lost to Duluth-Superior 3–2 in championship 1998 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3–1 in semifinals 1999 season: Defeated Sioux City 3–0 in quarterfinals; defeated Fargo-Moorhead 3–0 in semifinals; lost to Albany-Colonie 3–1 in championship 2000 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3–0 in quarterfinals 2001 season: Defeated Fargo-Moorhead 3–2 in quarterfinals; defeated Lincoln 3–1 in semifinals; lost to New Jersey 3–1 in championship 2002 season: Defeated Lincoln 3–2 in quarterfinals; defeated Sioux City 3–1 in semifinals; lost to New Jersey 3–1 in championship 2003 season: Defeated St. Paul 3–2 in semifinals; lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3–1 in championship 2006 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3–2 in semifinals 2007 season: Lost to Gary SouthShore 3–2 in semifinals 2008 season: Lost to Gary SouthShore 3–1 in semifinals 2009 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 3–2 in semifinals 2011 season: Lost to St. Paul 3–2 in semifinals 2012 season: Defeated Fargo-Moorhead 3–0 in semifinals; defeated Wichita 3–0 to win championship 2014 season: Lost to Lincoln 3–2 in semifinals 2016 season: Defeated St. Paul 3–2 in semifinals; defeated Wichita 3–2 to win championship 2017 season: Defeated Lincoln 3–1 in semifinals; defeated Wichita 3–2 to win championship 2022 season: Lost to Fargo-Moorhead 2–1 in division series 2024 season: Defeated Sioux Falls 2–1 in division series; defeated Fargo-Moorhead 2–1 in division championship, lost to Kane County in championship
Roster
Retired numbers 5, Brian Duva (July 20, 2001) 6, Max Poulin (June 14, 2011) 11, Reggie Abercrombie (August 11, 2023) 21, Donnie Smith (July 21, 2009) 22, Hal Lanier (June 12, 2018) 31, Andrew "Ace" Walker (June 21, 2015)
Notable alumni Dann Bilardello (1994) Pete Coachman (1994) Warren Sawkiw (1994) Darryl Brinkley (1994, 2004) Rich Thompson (1994) Jim Wilson (1994) Jeff Bittiger (1994–1995) Mike Cather (1995) Steve Springer (1995) Terry Lee (1995–1997) Brad Komminsk (1996) Steve Pegues (1997) Jeff Zimmerman (1997) Rod Pedraza (1997) Jeff Sparks (1997–1998) Scott Lydy (1998) Wes Chamberlain (1998, 2000, 2004) Dwayne Hosey (1999) Brian Myrow (1999–2001, 2011) Warren Newson (2000) Erik Plantenberg (2000) Luis Ortiz (2001) Luis Raven (2002) Bobby Madritsch (2002) Pete Rose Jr. (2002) Ira Smith (2002) George Sherrill (2002–2003) Jalal Leach (2003) Amaury García (2004) Wilfredo Rodríguez (2004) Michitaka Nishiyama (2004) Andy Stewart (2004) David Manning (2005) P.J. Connelly (2005) Chad Meyers (2005) Shawn Sedlacek (2005) Reggie Harris (2006) Julius Matos (2006) Jimmy Hurst (2006–2007) Fehlandt Lentini (2006–2008, 2011, 2013) Chris Latham (2007) Walter Young (2007) Mike Kusiewicz (2007) Greg Bicknell (2007) Brandon Kintzler (2007–2008) Iván Blanco (2008) Bill Pulsipher (2009) Juan Díaz (2009–2010) Ian Thomas (2009–2011) Bobby Korecky (2010) Donzell McDonald (2010) Jamie Vermilyea (2011) Jon Weber (2011–2012) Bárbaro Cañizares (2012) Chris Roberson (2012) Yurendell DeCaster (2012–2013) Mark Hardy (2013) Tyler Graham (2013) Tim Smith (2013–2014) Chris Kissock (2013–2014) Ray Sadler (2013–2014) Ryan Bollinger (2014) Brock Bond (2014) Reggie Abercrombie (2014–2019) Mike Wilson (2015) Jailen Peguero (2015–2016) Winston Abreu (2016) Kyle Lotzkar (2016) Eric Sim (2016) Josh Romanski (2016–2019) Evan Rutckyj (2017) Shane Dawson (2018) Tyler Herron (2018) Tommy Mendonca (2018) Reynaldo Rodríguez (2018) Dave Sappelt (2018) J. C. Sulbaran (2018) Brennan Bernardino (2018) Willy García (2019) Kyle Martin (2019–2021) Darnell Sweeney (2020) Eric Wood (2020) Brandon Cumpton (2020) Josh Lucas (2020, 2022) Bud Norris (2021) Donnie Hart (2021) David Washington (2022) Michael Crouse (2022) Tristan Pompey (2022) Brandon Marklund (2023) Marshall Kasowski (2024) Zac Reininger (2024)
Mascots Goldie, the Goldeyes' longest-serving mascot since 1994, is a locally beloved figure. In 2011, Goldette was added to the mascot roster. Goldette excels in dance and entertainment, and both Goldie and Goldette actively engage with fans and represent the team at events. Goldie also performs community outreach and supports the Winnipeg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation, reflecting the organization's commitment to giving back to the community.
See also List of baseball teams in Canada
References
Sources Goldeyes official website nlfan.com – yearly league standings and awards