Like a couple of heavyweights cracking roundhouses off each other's jaws, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Kitchener Panthers fought a battle for the ages at Christie Pits last night.
When it was all over, there was nothing left to do but step carefully around the broken teeth and pools of blood and wander dazedly into the night, replaying the scenes in one's fevered mind.
The game began as most games do when Sean Reilly is involved - with a devastated baseball screaming over the left field fence. Reilly struck in the first inning, blasting a James Trebus pitch for a 3-run homer. (Fortunately, a late-afternoon yoga class had packed up and left the park just before someone took a Reilly home run ball off the ass.)
He struck again with a solo dinger in the 3rd, leading some to wonder why clubs don't just take the bat out of his hands and walk him every time.
After watching the Panthers run up a 5-1 score, it was the Leafs' turn to storm the scoreboard in the 7th inning. They sent 10 men to the plate and scored four runs, three of them coming thanks to home runs by Tony Alvarez and Sean Mattson.
By that point the game had evolved into a battle of the bullpens. Kitchener starter Kyle McKay had been dominant, striking out 11 while limiting the Leafs to one run through 6 innings. Four Kitchener pitchers would follow him.
Jas Shergill pitched the 6th and 7th for Toronto. Justin Lawrence took over after that and pitched four innings, striking out six.
The score remained tied 5-5 through the 8th and 9th innings. An attempted rally by Kitchener in the 10th was snuffed out by a couple of nice defensive plays by Darryl Pui and Grant Tamane - who gunned down a runner at home plate. The Panthers were just as quick to stomp on a budding Leafs' rally in the bottom of the inning.
The game was decided in the 11th, when Lawrence got into a jam and gave up a grand slam to Mike Glinka.
It took almost four hours for this slugfest to be played. The temperature cooled down and the thin crowed got thinner after each inning. Still plenty of crazies on hand to cheer and chatter and get under people's skin. No game at the Pits would be complete without them. You get the sense that some of these folks would still show up during a freak blizzard or a flood.
The Leafs ended up with 14 hits to the Panthers' 13. Alvarez was the offensive star with two hits including a home run and a pair of RBIs. Glenn Jackson, Jon Waltenbury, Damon Topolie and Darryl Pui each got two hits as well. Five errors by Toronto contributed to their downfall this night.
Game Recap:
James Trebus made his third start of the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kitchener Panthers got to Trebus early, tagging him for a walk and three hits including a 3-run home run by DH Sean Reilly.
Toronto responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. DH Jon Waltenbury hit a two-out single. Kitchener starter Kyle McKay then walked catcher Tony Alvarez and third baseman Sean Mattson to load the bases. First baseman Damon Topolie drew another walk and Waltenbury trotted in to score. 3-1 visitors after one inning.
Reilly struck again with a solo home run in the 3rd inning to make it 4-1 Panthers, but both starters settled down after that.
Jas Shergill took over from Trebus to start the 6th. A couple of fielding errors and a single by centerfielder Tanner Nivins allowed another run to cross the plate, making it 5-1 Kitchener after six.
Matt Cockburn took over from McKay to start the 7th, and was promptly ambushed. Alvarez hit a two-run homer, and Mattson followed with a solo shot that knocked Cockburn out of the game. Joey Paulin proceeded to load the bases and leftfielder Grant Tamane hit an RBI single to make it a 5-5 game after seven.
Justin Lawrence came in to pitch for Toronto in the 8th and held Kitchener scoreless for three innings. In the top of the 11th, the Panthers loaded the bases and shortstop Mike Glinka delivered the fatal blow – a grand slam over the right field fence. It was 9-5 Panthers and that would be the final score in 11 innings.
Kitchener 9-13-0
Toronto 5-14-5
(11 innings)
(11 innings)
W - Luxton (1-1)
L - Lawrence (2-1)
BOXSCORE
The Leafs are now 4-3 on the season, a couple of games behind the still-undefeated Barrie Baycats. They head to Hamilton next, to play the Cardinals on May 30.
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