Washed Out

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - May 19 to 26, 2025

A rainy week postponed most of the Mapes' schedule

Third base at Christie Pits surrounded by puddles that expanded as Sunday afternoon went on.

Quick recap, this.  Only one game to talk about, as multiple days of inclement weather wreaked havoc on the IBL schedule.  From Thursday to Sunday over a half-dozen games were rained out.

Here is a recap of Week Two of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.

Friday, May 23, 2025 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox

Rain postponed all IBL games that were scheduled for May 22 and May 23, including this one.  A makeup date is yet to be announced.

Saturday, May 24, 2025 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals

Spenser Ross and Jhon Javier greet Marcus Knecht at the plate after the Leafs outfielder hit a 2-run bellringer.

Opening week of the IBL season restored the light to our lives.  Baseball!  Baseball!  Back once again.

Week Two was a harsh reversal.  Two straight days of rain on Thursday and Friday wiped out six scheduled games, including Toronto's trip to Brantford.  Outside felt more like early April than late May.

Saturday in Guelph served up another miserable atmosphere.  The Maple Leafs were in the land of gryphons and begging bears.  Normally a colourful and inviting place, but cold temperatures, wind and drizzle cast a pall over Hastings Stadium, home of the Royals.

Marcus Knecht reminded us that the old saying "Your worst day in baseball is better than your best day anywhere else" applies to fans as well as players.

In defiance of the weather, Knecht played with the joy of a kid on the first day of summer.  He was all smiles and energy as he flashed his glove in right field.  In the bottom of the second inning, he made a sprinting catch in shallow center-right to bail out a backpedaling Spenser Ross.  Uplifting stuff.

At that point in the game, the Leafs were down 3-0.  The Royals had pounced on starter Josh Berenbaum for three runs in the first inning.

In the top of the third, a sac fly by shortstop Rando Moreno put the Leafs on the board.  Centerfielder Dennis Dei Baning made a head-first slide into home to beat the throw and make it 3-1.

A familiar face restored Guelph's three-run lead as Garrett Takamatsu hit a solo home run off Berenbaum to make it 4-1 through three.

In the top of the fourth, Knecht responded for the Leafs.  He belted a two-run homer off starter Jordan Taylor and skipped around the bases, all the way back to the dugout.

After that, the Royals got stingy.  In the top of the seventh, DH Dan Marra singled and came home on a double by left fielder Ryan Dos Santos.  In the meantime the hosts racked up three more runs and dismissed the visitors with a 7-4 victory.  Berenbaum took the loss and reliever Arturo Alvarez earned the win with three-plus innings of work.

Toronto 4 5 3

Guelph 7 9 0

W - Alvarez (1-1, 2.84)

L - Berenbaum (0-1, 7.36)

S - Garcia (1)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, May 25, 2025 - Hamilton Cardinals vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Le Déluge: the home bench swamped by rain on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon in Toronto saw a couple of hours of steady rain render Dominico Field unplayable and the Leafs game against the Hamilton Cardinals was postponed.

The Maple Leafs' 1-3 record puts them in a tie with the Brantford Red Sox for seventh place in the IBL standings.  The two clubs will meet up in Week Three.

The week ahead:

Thursday, May 29 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers, 7:30 pm at Jack Couch Park

Friday, May 30 - Toronto Maple Leafs at London Majors, 7:35 pm at Labatt Memorial Park

Sunday, June 1 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits