Following the 2023 Toronto Maple Leafs baseball season.


Friday, June 30, 2017

K-W Rainout





The year of the flood continues, as the Toronto Maple Leafs' game at the Kitchener Panthers was postponed yesterday by wet weather.

A makeup date has not yet been announced.

The Mapes' next game will be at London on Canada Day.


Thursday, June 29, 2017

Nipped in the Ninth

Game 22: Kitchener Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs, June 28, 2017

Panthers win 3-2






Apart from fresh blooms of clover all over the field, the place looked the same.

After a week-long layoff, the Toronto Maple Leafs returned to action and welcomed their fans back to Christie Pits.

They also welcomed the Kitchener Panthers, who arrived late and caused a 10-minute delay to first pitch.

Once the game began, both sides played a tight and fast-moving game. After just an hour, it was already the top of the fifth.

Lanky lefty Zach Sloan breezed through the first five innings on the mound. He held the Panthers scoreless, giving up five hits while striking out two.

The Leafs got a run on the board in the bottom of the frame. Kitchener starter Jasvir Rakkar walked third baseman Johnathan Solazzo to start the inning. Solazzo moved to second on a single by DH Tyler Hardie, then moved to third on a fielder's choice by shortstop Ryan White. A single by first baseman Julian Johnson brought Solazzo in with the first run of the game.

IBL legend Sean Reilly tied the game with one swing of the bat in the top of the sixth, hitting a solo homer off reliever Adam Odd.  1-1 midway through six.

Left fielder Grant Tamane led off the bottom of the sixth by ripping his fifth double of the year. A single by centerfielder Connor Lewis moved him to third, and an RBI single by Solazzo brought him home. 2-1 Leafs after six.

The black cats tied the game again in the top of the seventh. A single by Yorbis Borroto and a double by Yulexis La Rosa made the game 2-2 through seven.

Adam Mercer came in to pitch a scoreless eighth and the Leafs were held scoreless by Mike Schnurr in the bottom of the frame to send the game to the decisive ninth.

Reilly led off with a single off Mercer. Connor Mitchell came in to pinch run. A double by first baseman Justin Interisano moved Mitchell to third. Rightfielder Zarley Cina then singled in what proved to be the winning run and Mitchell crossed home plate. 3-2 Panthers and the Leafs were down to their final three outs.

Cuban Noelvis Entenza took the mound for the Panthers in the bottom of the ninth. He gave up a single to pinch hitter Jon Waltenbury, but that would be all as he closed out the 3-2 final and a win for Schnurr.  Mercer took the loss for the Leafs.


Kitchener 3-12-0
Toronto 2-8-3

W - Schnurr (2-1, 2.77)
L - Mercer (0-2, 6.30)
S - Entenza (2)


BOXSCORE


The Leafs record now stands at 10-10* and they sit in 4th place in the IBL standings. These two clubs will be back at it again on Thursday night, June 29 at Jack Couch Park in Kitchener.


* A couple of forfeits by the defunct Guelph Royals added two wins to the Leafs record.






































Friday, June 23, 2017

Schedule Update: Rains and Abdications






Earlier this month, the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves playing eight games in 11 days, thanks to a bunch of May rainouts that were rescheduled for June.

Now, they find themselves facing an entire week without play.

Tonight's scheduled game at Brantford was postponed after heavy rains fell this morning.

Of greater import to the Leafs' schedule -- and to the league itself -- was Wednesday's announcement that the Guelph Royals were suspending operations for the remainder of the season. The franchise is looking for new ownership, and a dispersal draft was held today.

The Leafs were scheduled to host the Royals for a doubleheader this Sunday, but those games will not take place. The games will go down on the record as forfeits, along with one game in Guelph the Leafs were slated to play.

So the Mapes will not take the field again until Wednesday night, June 28, when they host the Kitchener Panthers at Christie Pits.

For now, this weird season is on pause.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

No Second Chances

Game 19: Hamilton Cardinals at Toronto Maple Leafs, June 21, 2017

Leafs win 15-6





The Hamilton Cardinals fell behind in the early going last night at Christie Pits, then rallied to overcome a 5-1 deficit.

In between innings mid-game, Toronto Maple Leafs Manager Damon Topolie could be heard admonishing his charges for letting the visitors hang around long enough to tie the game.

They made sure it didn't happen again.

The Leafs' bats put nine more runs on the board and the bullpen threw four shutout innings to nail down a 15-6 victory.

The game began beautifully for the Buds, who sent all nine men to the plate in the first inning against Redbirds hurler Jackson Jones. Centerfielder Connor Lewis led off with a walk. Second baseman Dan Marra singled. A passed ball advanced both runners before catcher Justin Marra hit into a 1-3 putout. Lewis scored on the play. DH Tyler Hardie and shortstop Ryan White both walked to load the bases. Another walk put first baseman Julian Johnson aboard and Dan Marra trotted home. Third baseman Adam Odd struck out, then rightfielder Brendan Keys reached first on a fielding error by Hamilton catcher Greg Marco. Hardie scored on the play. Jones finally got out of the inning by striking out leftfielder Grant Tamane.

Tamane (above) recovered to lead the Leafs with three RBIs on the night, much to his manager's delight (also above).

The Leafs began a repeat performance in the second inning when Lewis and Dan Marra once again reached base, and Lewis scored on an out by Justin Marra. It was 4-0 Leafs after two innings.

The Cards snuck a run on the board in the top of the third, on a double and a sac fly. It was their first hit and first run off Leafs starter Andrew Simonetti.

Toronto tacked on two more in the bottom of the third. Odd singled and then Keys doubled to bring him in. Tamane was up next, and he stroked an RBI-single to plate Keys. 6-1 Leafs after three innings.

The visitors kept at it, putting two more runs on the board in the top of the fourth courtesy of a solo home run by Nate Mastervick and an RBI double by T.J. Baker. 6-3 after four.

Hamilton completed the comeback in the top of the fifth when Jon Dziomba blasted a three-run homer to tie the game and seriously irk Topolie on the Toronto bench. 

Both starters left the game after the fifth. Simonetti turned the ball over to Zach Sloan, who pitched a scoreless sixth. 

Hamilton was not so lucky. Kyle Adoranti relieved Jones and the Leafs had their biggest inning of the game. The recap on Pointstreak is a hot mess, but the Leafs sent all nine men to the plate again and put five runs on the board to take an 11-6 lead.

Mindful of taking their feet off the gas, the Leafs pounded reliever Nick Jambrosic for four more runs in the bottom of the seventh and an insurmountable 15-6 lead.

Sloan, Adam Marra and Andrew Mercer combined for four scoreless innings and Sloan walked away with the win. Adoranti was tagged with the loss.

There would be no second chance for the Redbirds on this night.


Hamilton 6-10-6
Toronto 15-12-5

W - Sloan (1-2, 5.06)
L - Adoranti (1-2, 13.50)


BOXSCORE


At 8-9, the Leafs continue to hold 4th place in the IBL standings. Their next game is on the road in the Telephone City on Friday, June 23 when they take on the Brantford Red Sox.

































Monday, June 19, 2017

Slow Stampede Beats Leafs

Game 18: Burlington Herd at Toronto Maple Leafs, June 18, 2017

Herd win 6-1


                                                                                                                                                                                          FILE PHOTO


 
It wasn't an all-out, gangbusters stampede that beat the Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Park yesterday afternoon.

Instead, it was a slow-moving one that rolled in from Burlington on Father's Day. A run in the first, a run in the second, another in the third, then three more in the fourth. Just like that, the Herd had built up a 6-1 lead after four innings.

The score remained that way the rest of the way, as the Leafs were unable to do much with their 11 hits on the day.

Catcher Justin Marra (above) hit a solo home run off starter Christian Hauck in the third, producing Toronto's only scoring play of the day.

Hauck pitched seven innings for the win. For Toronto, Zach Sloan got through five innings en route to the loss. He was relieved by Marek Deska, Adam Marra and Andrew Mercer the rest of the way. They held the Herd at bay for four innings, but the Leafs were unable to rally for any more runs.


Burlington 6-12-1

Toronto 1-11-2

W - Hauck (1-0, 2.07)

L - Sloan (0-2, 5.40)


BOXSCORE



The loss drops the Leafs' record to 7-9 and they remain in 4th place in the IBL standings. That approaching sound of hoofbeats is the surging Herd, who are now just a game behind. Toronto's next game is back at Christie Pits this Wednesday night, June 21st, when they host the Hamilton Cardinals.