On the Christie Hillside: Maple Leafs Get Back in the Swing

Monday, May 16, 2022

Maple Leafs Get Back in the Swing

On Opening Day 2022, the Leafs look back and stride forward as the post-Jack era begins

Leadoff man Gregory Carrington gets things started at the Pits on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday, May 15, 2022 - London Majors at Toronto Maple Leafs

There was a different vibe to opening day.

The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club is entering a new era, and it certainly felt like that yesterday at Christie Pits.

A lot has happened since the first night of last October, when the Leafs' run for the IBL championship ended in deciding-game defeat. That night, the Leafs and their travelling caravan watched the London Majors rush the mound and dogpile, whoop and holler, splash and guzzle, twerk and thrust, and all the other unbridled things that happen when a team wins it all.

Unbeknownst to the Leafs, it was only the beginning of a massive transition.

In January, the annual task of roster building was interrupted by the death of club patriarch Jack Dominico. Stewardship of the Leafs was taken up by a group of custodians who will see the club through the immediate future.

Yesterday at Christie Pits, the future arrived.

The park was bursting with life. The green hillsides were dotted with dandelions, and trees in full bloom looked over the immaculate diamond. A big crowd basked in the warm midsummer weather. The league's wise men did well to shift the start of the season slightly deeper into May.

The Leafs appeared in fresh new navy and white uniforms. The Majors were there in their road greys.

Pregame ceremonies included a Ukrainian chorus and fundraiser. That was followed by the unveiling of a tribute to both Jack and Lynne Dominico, their smiling faces enshrined on a banner in centerfield.

IBL Commissioner John Kastner threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Announcer Roger Lajoie was in the press box for the first time since 2013. Al Ross was starting a new gig selling club merchandise at the snack bar. Plenty of changes, but when the players took the field, it was back to the familiar comforts of the game.

Veteran starter Marek Deska got things started with a scoreless top of the first.

Veteran third baseman Johnathan Solazzo put the Leafs on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

And so it went, a gentle back-and-forth with the Majors to get the season going.

The visitors tied the game in the top of the second. Left fielder Grant Tamane drove in a run in the bottom of the frame to put the Leafs back ahead 2-1.

With some key members of the roster not yet arrived for the season, the Leafs filled out the lineup with some junior call-ups. DH Brady Cerkownyk made the most of the opportunity by going 3 for 4 and earning player of the game honours.

The Majors took the lead in the fifth, setting the stage for a ninth inning comeback by the Leafs, but they fell short and lost this opener 6-3. Hard to get too down over it. It was a gorgeous afternoon, the roster is coming together, and baseball is back for a 53rd summer at the Pits.

London 6 11 1

Toronto 3 9 3

W - Boon (1-0, 3.60)

L - Sloan (0-1, 4.50)

S - Arias (1)

BOXSCORE