2016 Can-Am League season
| 2016 Can-Am League Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | May 19 – September 5, 2016 |
| Number of games | 100 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | New Jersey Jackals |
| Finals champions | Ottawa Champions |
The 2016 Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball season began May 19 and ended September 5. Following the regular season, the playoffs were held. It was the 12th season of operation for this professional independent baseball league. The Ottawa Champions won their first ever title in just their second season, defeating the Rockland Boulders in the fifth and deciding game of the league championships, played on September 17.
On August 21, Ottawa Champions outfielder Sebastien Boucher set a league record for career hits with 752 in a game against the Trois-Rivières Aigles.
Tragedy struck the league on September 4, when the co-owner of the Québec Capitales, Roberto Bissonnette was killed in a helicopter crash in Flatlands, New Brunswick, along with the pilot. Team president Michel Laplant was also in the helicopter, but only suffered from non-life threatening injuries.
On September 5, former Cy Young Award winning pitcher Éric Gagné pitched for the Ottawa Champions, attracting nearly 8,000 fans. The Champions made it to the league finals in only their second season as a franchise.
The Cuba national baseball team played 20 regular season games as part of the league schedule, though they were ineligible for the playoffs. It was billed as a "goodwill tour" following the opening up of Cuba–United States relations in 2015. The Cuban team finished with an 11–9 record.
* Teams not eligible for playoffs
Ottawa won the series, 3–0.
Rockland won the series, 3–2.
The road team won every game of the 5 game series, which saw the Ottawa Champions come back from being down two games to none to win three straight games for the championship.
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