On the Christie Hillside: Less Rain, More Wins

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - July 12 to 18, 2021

The Toronto Maple Leafs split a series with the Hamilton Cardinals before spoiling London's undefeated season

Justin Marra blasts a game-winning home run Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits.

The weather this July is leaving a lot -- A LOT -- to be desired.

On the plus side, the Toronto Maple Leafs were rained out only once last week, so here's hoping for some decent weather coming up.

The Leafs kicked off week two of this IBL season with a Wednesday night game at Christie Pits. A solid crowd spread out across the hillsides for the first time this season and watched their team take on the Hamilton Cardinals. The game turned out to be a slugfest and a classic comeback win for the home side.

After a Thursday night game in Kitchener was rained out, the Leafs visited Carstar Field at Bernie Arbour Stadium for a Friday night tilt. Hamilton Cardinals pitcher Chris Lazar stymied the visitors with a complete game shutout to keep Toronto winless on the road.

Back at the Pits on Sunday, the Leafs came back to defeat the London Majors and end the week with a 3-2 record.

Perhaps the highlight of the week was the shock return of a ghostly persona from Toronto's baseball past. Read on, friends...

Wednesday, July 14, 2021 - Hamilton Cardinals at Toronto Maple Leafs

Fans reclaimed the Christie hillsides on a perfect night for baseball in Tronno.

No lead is safe at the Pits.

For longtime fans, it was a refresher. For new fans, it was a demonstration that proved the old adage remains true.

It was the first Wednesday nighter at Christie Pits, and the first big crowd of the season. Fans sprawled across the hillsides to watch the Mapes take on the Cards.

Michael Asta made the start for the home side, and the visitors jumped all over him. Through 3 2/3 innings, he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk. Whether by design or by inspiration, manager Damon Topolie called outfielder Jeff MacLeod to the mound, making him the team's first two-way player this season. It's trendy these days. MacLeod battled through an inning and a third, giving up another two runs to give Hamilton a 7-2 lead through five innings.

This is the part where you take your phone and cue up "Eye of the Tiger". In fact, here you go.

In the sixth and seventh innings, the Leafs exploded.

They sent nine men to the plate in the sixth and scored six runs. The barrage was capped off by a three-run home run by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo that gave the Leafs an 8-7 lead.

The Cards scored two in the top of the seventh to retake the lead, and the Leafs responded with another explosion in the bottom of the inning. Once again, nine men went to the plate. The Leafs put up five more runs, capped off by another three-run homer, this time by catcher Justin Marra. The Leafs retook the lead for good, and added two more runs in the eighth to seal a 15-9 victory.

Hamilton 9 10 2

Toronto 15 12 2

W - McLaren (1-0, 9.00)

L - Macniel (0-1, 6.13)

BOXSCORE

Thursday, July 15, 2021 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers

Rained out.

Friday, July 16, 2021 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals

On Friday night in the Hammer, the Leafs were left looking for elusive runs.

Turn about is fair play or something like that.

After their relievers got walloped on Wednesday, the Hamilton Cardinals sent starter Chris Lazar to the mound, and he stayed there all night.

Lazar pitched an early season gem, scattering seven singles over six innings. It was good enough to shut down the high-powered Leafs lineup. After the sixth, they went hitless.

Andrew Hyde pitched five innings for Toronto, and Kyle Perrett spelled him for the final three. Between them, they gave up four runs to Hamilton and it was enough for a losing night in the Hammer.

Toronto 0 7 0

Hamilton 4 7 1

W - Lazar (1-0, 0.56)

L - Hyde (0-1, 6.42)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, July 18, 2021 - London Majors at Toronto Maple Leafs

When you gaze up from Christie Pits, Handlebar Hank gazes down into you.

Faithful readers will recall my tendency to suffer from heatstroke on blazing sunny days. Sunday was different. There were supposed to be thunderstorms on Sunday, but the skies held it together and produced a cloudy, sweaty afternoon at Christie Pits.

The heat started playing tricks with my fragile mind early on. Before game time, I hung around the Leafs bullpen soaking up the atmosphere. The home side were preparing to take on the undefeated London Majors, class of the IBL early this season. I was pivoting this way and that and snapping photos when a face suddenly loomed into the field of vision.

The face was familiar but unexpected. I was looking up at the Christie hillsides, and the face of Handlebar Hank was looking down at me.

Handlebar Hank. His calm, affable gaze burning through my soul. Not heatstroke, no. This was an apparition from the past.

Quick tutorial: Handlebar Hank was Toronto's first popular baseball mascot. With rosy features and distinctive moustache, his face was the face of the old Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League. A face not seen in this city since the 1960s. When the Blue Jays were hatched in 1977, funny feathered mascots became au courant. Hank was consigned to history and retro T-shirts.

Until Sunday, when he made his shock return. Why now? Was Hank filling a void left by the absence of the Jays? Was he heralding a new moment in the history of Maple Leafs baseball? I wanted to reach out and speak to him, but I was trembling. Everyone knows mascots don't speak anyway. Every time I glanced up, he was looking right at me. Handlebar Hank, back in 2021. I couldn't handle it. My mind was fried before the first pitch.

By the time I finally snapped out of it, the Majors were already up 2-0 in the first inning, on two hits and a wild pitch by Leafs starter Mateos Kekatos.

Anyway, the London Majors' dream of a perfect season was soon shattered at Christie Pits.

As your narrator tried to pull his shit together, the Leafs commenced another Christie comeback. Kekatos was done after four innings, and Marek Deska came in to pitch three more. During that time, the Leafs battled back to tie the game 3-3. Instead of the slugfest that most people expected, the game was a tight, low-scoring contest.

The decisive moment of the game came in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Sean Reilly led off with a single and catcher Justin Marra came to the plate. On a 2-1 count, Marra blasted a home run to put the Leafs ahead 5-3.

Kyle Perrett came in to pitch the eighth inning for Toronto, but he walked the first three batters he faced. It took a wicked double play and an unexpected relief appearance by shortstop Johnathan Solazzo to get through the inning unscathed.

Solazzo returned to the mound in the ninth and gave up one run before slamming the door with a strikeout to end the game and put the Leafs back over .500 with a 3-2 record.

Handlebar Hank, guardian angel of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball, looked on and smiled.

London 4 10 2

Toronto 5 9 3

W - Deska (1-0, 2.25)

L - Lund (0-1, 6.00)

S - Solazzo (1)

BOXSCORE