Hunter S. Thompson once spent a summer with the Hell's Angels of California. I spent this summer with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the IBL. Tonight was the closest I've come to experiencing Thompson's illicit brotherhood with dangerous outlaws.
The Leafs roared into Hamilton tonight like an angry gang. This date against the Cardinals was a meaningless late-season makeup game, but the Leafs didn't play that way. Meaningless? They bullied and bruised the home team, then trashed the joint when it was over.
They toyed with the Cardinals, slapping their pitchers around for fun. Late in the game, the toying gave way to violence. On a potential game-tying play at the plate, baserunner Damon Topolie barreled into catcher Lucas Pattison, who went down like a pickerel. Outrage rained down from the stands. Topolie was out on the play. Nonplussed, he dusted himself off and went to put his catcher's gear on, as if destroying the other team's catcher was as normal as breathing.
In the 9th inning, Glenn Jackson, Branfy Arias and Jon Waltenbury ganged up on Cardinals reliever Johnathan Solazzo, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs with a flurry of devastating hits. Solazzo will have to cope with night terrors for the foreseeable future.
Don't try to tell Leafs starter Adam Garner that this was a meaningless game. He held the Cardinals down until his 133rd and final pitch of the game, when they scored a walkoff win. Meaningless? Garner exploded like a one-man riot in the Leafs' dugout, annihilating the back wall with fists of fury. Then he smashed the benches. Then he tore off the roof. Then he kicked down the support beams. Fans and stadium crew looked on in horror. When Garner's rage finally ended, the dugout had been rendered into a smouldering pile of wreckage. Meaningless? Not one of his teammates tried to stop him. They stood and watched silently. Several nodded in approval. Baseball players, they know.
Hamilton may have won the game 6-5, but the damage in human and material costs may be incalculable. The Hamilton franchise may never recover. Innocence was shattered tonight, along with a dugout and perhaps a couple of bones.
If the Maple Leafs can carry this level of intensity and physicality into the post-season, they will shatter many more innocents along the way as they carve a path of destruction, and glory.
Recap:
The Toronto Maple Leafs were held scoreless in the opening inning of this game against the Hamilton Cardinals at Bernie Arbour Stadium.
A two-run home run by DH Daniel Jagdeo put the Cards ahead after the 1st.
In the top of the 3rd inning, second baseman Dan Marra advanced to first on an error by the catcher. A double by catcher Damon Topolie brought Marra in to score and cut the Hamilton lead in half, 2-1.
RBI singles by first baseman Zack Ranta and leftfielder Kyle Gappa in the bottom of the 4th extended the home lead to 4-1.
The 5th and 6th innings of this fast-moving game were scoreless, as the Leafs' Adam Garner and the Cards' Dustin Godden dueled the night away.
First baseman Kevin Hinton led off the Leafs' half of the 7th inning with a single. A single by Topolie drove Hinton home and drove Godden out of the game. Godden was relieved by Kyle Adoranti. The Leafs added another run on a single by centerfielder Glenn Jackson and it was 4-3 after the 7th inning.
A scoreless 8th inning set the stage for drama in the 9th.
Johnathan Solazzo came on to close the game out for Hamilton. With two outs, Jackson grounded to shortstop Michael Gottschalk, who misplayed the ball and allowed Jackson to reach first. Shortstop Branfy Arias then tripled to right field, scoring Jackson to tie the game. DH Jon Waltenbury followed with a single that brought in Arias with the go-ahead run and it was 5-4 Toronto.
Garner went out to pitch the bottom of the 9th, looking for a complete game win. Solazzo opened the frame by hitting a comebacker that struck the inside of Garner's left foot. Garner was fine and continued. A bunt by catcher Lucas Pattison got past Garner, and Pattison was safe at first. Another bunt, this time by first baseman Zack Sardellitti, advanced both baserunners. A single by second baseman Chris Beer brought Solazzo in to score the tying run. A single by Gottschalk bought Pattison in to score the winning run and Hamilton came away with a 6-5 final.
The Maple Leafs are now 20-21, with one last regular season game left to play at home later tonight, against the Kitchener Panthers.
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