Baba to be inducted posthumously into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
By Kate Winquist
Jim Baba, a longtime leader in Canadian baseball whose career began in Kindersley, Sask., will be inducted posthumously into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2026.
Baba, born Aug. 6, 1956 in Moose Jaw, built a national reputation in the sport, but many in west-central Saskatchewan remember him first as Kindersley’s parks and recreation director. He held the position for nine years beginning in 1980, helping develop local programs and strengthening the town’s reputation as a community committed to sport.
During that time, Kindersley achieved something remarkable for a prairie town. In 1984, it hosted the World Youth Baseball Championships, bringing international teams and attention to the community. Local reporting has long credited Baba with playing a key role in helping bring the event to Kindersley, a milestone that remains one of the community’s proudest sporting moments.
Baba’s career later expanded far beyond Saskatchewan. He served for a decade as director of operations for Baseball Saskatchewan before moving to Ottawa in 2000 to join Baseball Canada as manager of baseball operations. He later became executive director, leading the national organization until his retirement in 2021.
During that period, Baseball Canada strengthened its domestic programs and international profile, supporting national teams through Olympic and World Baseball Classic cycles and celebrating gold-medal performances at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.
Baba also represented Canada internationally as a technical official at numerous world events and received the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Order of the Golden Diamond in 2022.
He died Sept. 12, 2025 at age 69. His wife, Penny, died just over two months later on Nov. 23, 2025.
Baba will be formally inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 20, 2026 in St. Marys, Ont., an honour recognizing a lifetime spent building and growing the game of baseball in Canada.