The regular season ends with a bang, not a whimper.
Glenn Jackson, that force of nature, blew the roof off of Christie Pits with a loud, long walkoff home run that gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 9-7 victory over the Kitchener Panthers last night.
In a week that produced so many game-winning, record-breaking home runs, Jackson may have hit the most important one of the season. With one swing of the bat, the Maple Leafs won the game and finally captured the .500 record they have been chasing all year. As well, they booked a ticket to face these same Panthers in the first round of the IBL playoffs starting this weekend.
General consensus around the park seemed to be that a series against Kitchener was preferable to one against the Barrie Baycats, who were the third party in the 4th vs 5th playoff picture at the start of the night.
That's not to say the Leafs walked all over the Panthers. They entered the bottom of the 8th inning trailing Kitchener by four runs. With one on and no out, Jackson had a chance to do something, but flied out to centerfield. He returned to the bench and sat quietly, watching as the Leafs got another man on base, then went down with another flyout and a strikeout.
Jackson leaped to his feet and lay a violent beating on a large equipment bag, then went out to centerfield for the top of the 9th.
The Panthers went down in order in the top of the inning. Jackson dashed back to the bench and implored his teammates to get him one more at bat.
This is where I have to stop the story and invoke Keith Hernandez.
Yes, Keith Hernandez, captain of the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. There's a book about that series called The Bad Guys Won! and it features a moment-by-moment recap of the pivotal Game Six - the Buckner game. Before the famous moment of the game, the Mets came to the brink of losing the series. Hernandez and some other players had retreated inside the clubhouse to watch the game's final moments on TV.
The Red Sox recorded two quick outs. Then Gary Carter singled. Then Kevin Mitchell singled.
Two men on. Rally.
"Everybody freeze!" roared Hernandez. No one in the clubhouse moved, and they watched as history played out on TV. Ray Knight singled in Carter. Mitchell scored on a wild pitch to Mookie Wilson. Then Wilson hit the immortal dribbler through Buckner's legs. The Mets won the game, the Red Sox never recovered, and the rest is history.
Back at Christie Pits, Sean Mattson struck out to start the bottom of the 9th. Then Damon Topolie drew a walk to get on base. Then Rob Gillis singled.
Two men on. Rally.
In my mind I heard Keith Hernandez roar "Everybody freeze!" but I did the opposite. I walked a few paces from where I'd been standing behind the Toronto bench.
Dan Marra was up next. He worked the count to 2 and 2, and I worked my way up the third base line. With Topolie already on third, Gillis broke for second on the next pitch. Marra struck out, but the catcher's throw to second sailed into centerfield. Topolie scored to bring the Leafs to within one run.
Justin Gianfrancesco was up next, and the #9 man in the order hit a double to left that scored Gillis and tied the game. Now I had to keep moving, and I kept going all the way up the left field line beside the Toronto bullpen.
Up came Jackson. His teammates had gotten him one more at bat. And he made the absolute, glorious most of it. He leapt on the first pitch and hit it over the centerfield fence.
Walkoff mayhem. Christie Pits went bug-nuts. If I had stayed behind the bench, I might have snapped some epic photos of Jackson rounding the bases like a hurricane, his teammates spilling onto the field to celebrate, while fans, family and friends whooped it up. Instead, I found myself standing alone in the left field corner. Damme! Dammit! Damn you Keith Hernandez!
But hooray for the Toronto Maple Leafs, you canny bastards. We're going back to Sausageland!
Recap:
A brilliant sunset lit up Christie Pits as the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Kitchener Panthers. The game's outcome would determine the 3 and 4 spots in the IBL rankings, and sort out a couple of first-round playoff series. With a win, Toronto would face Kitchener. With a loss, they would face the Barrie Baycats.
Marek Deska answered the bell for the final game of the regular season - his team-leading 10th start. He started well, giving up a leadoff single but no further damage.
The Maple Leafs got on the board as shortstop Branfy Arias singled, moved to second on a walk to DH Jon Waltenbury, stole third, then trotted home on a single by third baseman Sean Mattson. 1-0 Leafs after the 1st inning.
The Panthers responded immediately. Deska was tagged for three hits, including an RBI double by DH Bryon Bell and an RBI single by rightfielder Darnell Duckett. The Panthers took the lead 2-1.
Shortstop Mike Glinka led off the top of the 3rd with a single off Deska. He then stole second, moved to third on a putout, then scored on another putout. 3-1 Panthers after the 3rd.
After giving up the opening run of the game, Kitchener starter Shaun Hancock settled down and mowed through the Toronto order in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings. He was done after five and the Leafs were glad to see him go.
The bottom of the 6th saw three different Kitchener pitchers take to the mound as the Leafs batted around and scored three runs to retake the lead. Mattson advanced to first base on a dropped third strike, then moved to second on a putout. A single by super utility man Rob Gillis (playing first base tonight) scored Mattson. A double by second baseman Dan Marra scored Gillis. A single by centerfielder Glenn Jackson scored Marra, and Mike Gatchene, who had started the inning, was relieved by Mike McGillivray. The game almost completely unravelled for Kitchener as McGillivray proceeded to walk three batters in a row, but not before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Jackson to race home with the fourth run of the inning. Matt McGovern had to come in to close out the inning, and the Leafs were up 5-3 after the 6th.
The Panthers battled back. Franco Pace, who had taken over from Deska in the 4th inning, uncorked a wild pitch of his own to let a run in. 5-4 Leafs after the 7th.
With two Panthers on base in the top of the 8th, Cam Grey relieved Pace. The first batter Grey faced was second baseman Mike Andrulis, who hit a three-run home run. The Panthers were suddenly ahead 7-5, setting the stage for Glenn Jackson's at bats in the 8th and 9th. As described above, Jackson's game winning home run launched the Pits into wild celebrations and gave the Leafs a 9-7 win.
The Maple Leafs finish the regular season with a .500 record of 21-21. Their opponents in the first round of the playoffs will be the Kitchener Panthers, with the first game to be played in Kitchener. Dates and times TBC.
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