The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their season-long Jekyll and Hyde show at Christie Pits today - a show that has brought frustration to the team, its owner, and its fans - and has finally driven this correspondent to drink.
It was in the top of the 7th and the Kitchener Panthers had already run up a 9-1 score. The day's starter, Rick Brooks, had been replaced by Scott Kelly to start the inning. The first Panthers batter up ran a 2-2 count, then blasted a solo home run to make it 10-1. That was the end of it for me. Beyond frustrated and slightly dazed, I got up and marched out of the park. All the way to the subway and the two trains that brought me back downtown, where I plowed through the explosion of noise and sparkles that is the annual Pride Parade, and straight into the local liquor store.
Now, some time later - and many drinks later - I'm writing up this recap and the frustration lingers. The Maple Leafs are locked in a terrible fugue state: they win a game, then they lose a game. Win, lose, win, lose... they are running in place and stuck in the middle of the standings.
Sure, I'm an angry drunk right now. But everyone is frustrated with this. The old man on the hill, he bellowed his discontent throughout the game. The diehards - the crazy people who are there every game - they were baying for pitching changes that came too late. The players were frustrated too. Batting helmets were slammed. The bench was tense. The Pits were not a happy place today.
Of course, everything could change again tomorrow, when the Maple Leafs play in London for Canada Day. Not sure if I'll be there. The Leafs will be there of course, but which Leafs will show up? Jekyll? Or Hyde?
Recap:
The Maple Leafs hosted the Kitchener Panthers at Christie Pits under sunny skies, and the game got off to a quick start with both teams going scoreless in the first inning.
The Leafs struck first in the 2nd inning, as catcher Will Richards hit a solo home run off Kitchener starter Mike McGillivray to give the home side an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the 3rd inning, the Panthers took the lead on a bases-loaded double by leftfielder Jeff Pietrasko that brought two runners in to score.
The Panthers increased their lead in the top of the 5th. Centerfielder Tanner Nivins hit a two-run home run off Toronto starter Rick Brooks to make it 4-1 for the visitors.
Kitchener blew the game open in the 6th inning, scoring five runs off four hits and two errors. It was a brutal inning that started with a walk and a double, followed by an RBI single by first baseman Mike Winter. Catcher Kaiden Bowers drove another run in on a fielder's choice. Nivins was up next, and his single off Brooks ended up bringing in two more runs. Another single by third baseman Mat Taube drove in one more run and the Panthers had blown the game open 9-1 after 6 innings.
Pietrasko hit a leadoff home run off reliever Scott Kelly that made it 10-1 after 7 innings.
The Leafs mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 8th inning, scoring four runs off the bat of pinch hitter Sean Mattson, who came in to bat for third baseman Damon Topolie. It began with first baseman Sean Reilly getting hit by a pitch from reliever Rick Murray. That was followed by a single from catcher Will Richards and a walk to shortstop Cody Mombourquette to load the bases. Mattson came up to the plate next. I was already en route to the liquor store by that point, but I can envision Mattson's quiet approach at the plate, becoming totally still as the pitcher goes into his windup. On the first pitch, Mattson blasted a grand slam. The Panthers' lead was cut in half as Mattson completed his home run trot to make it 10-5 after the 8th.
But whatever hope might have been stoked in the hearts of the remaining fans was soon doused by a five-run 9th inning by Kitchener. It came off two home runs - two cruel home runs. First, DH Bryon Bell hit a 2-run dinger. Then, Nivins hit his second of the game, a three-run shot that made the score 15-5 going into the bottom of the 9th.
Reilly hit a two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the 9th, but that was all she wrote for the Leafs on this day, and they ended up on the losing side of a 15-7 score.
The Maple Leafs are now 9-13, alone in 5th place and 11 games behind the league-leading Brantford Red Sox. Their next game is in London on Canada Day, against the London Majors.
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