Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - May 27 to June 2, 2025
The Leafs made a clean sweep of Week Three
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| Dan Marra moves along the high five line after his three-run homer tied the game on Sunday at Christie Pits. |
Hopes for a warm opening to the IBL season were met with disappointment. Unseasonable cold and multiple rainouts marred most of the month. The weather in May was disgraceful. People were outraged.
In Week Three, the Toronto Maple Leafs were hotter than the weather and they enter June riding a three-game win streak.
A quick look at who's been hot of late:
The usual suspects have led the way in home runs. Jordan Castaldo, Justin Marra, Ryan Dos Santos and Dennis Dei Baning have each hit two round trips.
Jhon Javier leads the Leafs with a .379 batting average, just ahead of Castaldo's .375. No surprise that Castaldo is the club's on-base leader at .531, followed by Spenser Ross at .517.
Rando Moreno has driven in eight runs, followed by Javier with seven, Dos Santos and Marcus Knecht next with six apiece.
Dos Santos has been sensational in the outfield and on the basepaths. In the ninth inning on Sunday, he made what may have been a game-saving circus catch in left. He has also whirled around the bases, scoring 12 runs and swiping five bags along the way.
On the mound, this week Josh Berenbaum showed why he was signed by the Leafs, earning his first win with a strong outing in Kitchener. His 14 strikeouts lead the club. Other standouts include Dustin Richardson, who recorded his first save. The Undertaker has not surrendered an earned run since 2023. Junior call up Nathan Currah made his debut with a tough assignment in London and pitched two stellar innings. Finally, Ayami Sato continued to write history by winning her first game in the IBL.
It was a fun week of Leafs baseball for sure. Here is the full recap of Week Three.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers
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| A blast by Blanco: everyone watches Ryan Dos Santos' 3-run homer leave Jack Couch Park. (image: Panthers Baseball Online) |
Berenbaum + Santos bomb = success.
The Leafs entered Week Three looking for a win in Kitchener. Win they did, thanks to six strong innings on the mound by Josh Berenbaum and an early home run by Ryan Dos Santos. The Leafs feasted while the Panthers scrambled for scraps on the losing end of a 5-2 score.
Berenbaum made his third start for Toronto and everything clicked. The British Columbian established season highs for innings pitched (6), and strikeouts (8) while limiting Kitchener to just two hits and a walk.
The game opened with a couple of quiet innings until Dos Santos noisily broke the ice. The left fielder launched a three-run bomb off starter Andy Vargas. Toronto took a 3-0 lead and it turned out that was all they needed.
After pitching six scoreless innings, Berenbaum handed the game over to Alex Uher, a junior call-up making his first IBL appearance (one of three Leaf debutants on the day). The Panthers gave him a rude welcome, tagging him for two hits, a walk and a run scored. That made it 3-1 Leafs through seven.
In the top of the eighth, the Leafs extended their lead. Dos Santos led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by catcher Jhon Javier. With one out and two runners in scoring position, first baseman Justin Marra lifted a sac fly that brought Javier home just ahead of a putout at third base. When the dust settled the Leafs enjoyed a 5-1 lead.
Eugene Lee made his IBL debut in relief of Uher to start the bottom of the eighth. The Panthers loaded the bases thanks to a hit batsman, a walk and a fielding error. With one out, Marek Deska got the call from the bullpen. Deska surrendered a sac fly, then ended the inning with a strikeout. Toronto remained ahead, 5-2 through eight.
Things took a sombre turn in Sausagetown as Dustin Richardson arrived to put the black cats out of their misery. After recording a strikeout and a groundout, Richardson gave up a double to give the home side a flicker of life. That just made him mad. He plunked the next man up, then ended the game with a swinging strikeout.
Final score: 5-2. Berenbaum with the win, Richardson with the save. Dos Santos led at the plate with two hits (including the homer) and three RBIs. Javier and Justin Marra drove in the Leafs' other runs. DH Spencer MacInnis impressed in his IBL debut with two hits, a stolen base and a run scored.
Toronto 5 8 2
Kitchener 2 5 3
W - Berenbaum (1-1, 4.05)
L - Vargas (0-1, 7.20)
S - Richardson (1)
Friday, May 30, 2025 - Toronto Maple Leafs at London Majors
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| "What, we worry?" Down early but still all smiles at Labatt Park. (image: London Majors YouTube) |
In a see-saw game that took ten innings and "only" 3 1/2 hours, the Toronto Maple Leafs made off with an 8-4 win against the London Majors at Labatt Park.
Earlier in the season, these two sides waged an extra innings war at Christie Pits that dragged on for four-plus hours. Friday night's game was brisk in comparison.
Sloppy play by the Majors set the tone early. Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos reached first on an error to start the game. He stole second, then watched along with everyone as Jordan Castaldo produced one of the game's highlights. The Leafs first baseman waged a ten-pitch battle against starter Travis Keys. Castaldo emerged the winner, hitting a single to drive in Dos Santos and give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
Venezuelan Wilgenis Alvarado made his first start of the season. London jumped on him in the bottom of the second. They scored three runs on four hits and took a 3-1 lead after two innings.
An error cost the Majors again in the top of the fourth. Right fielder Marcus Knecht led off with a double. He moved to third on an error that put two men aboard, and scored when DH Dan Marra hit into a fielder's choice. 3-2 London through four.
After that rough patch in the second, Alvarado hunkered down and kept the Majors off the board for three more innings. He turned the ball over to call-up Nathan Currah. The southpaw introduced himself to the IBL by pitching a 1-2-3 sixth with two strikeouts. He followed that with a 1-2-3 seventh and another strikeout. A dazzling debut for Currah!
Meanwhile, the Leafs reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh. Once again the Majors were their own worst enemy. Dan Marra opened the frame with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Dos Santos hit a laser up the middle and Marra scored on an errant throw to home. Dos Santos also came around to score on an RBI single by shortstop Rando Moreno, and the Leafs pulled ahead 4-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, the error bug bit the Leafs. With one out and reliever Sebastian Rodriguez on the mound, a couple of throwing errors put two Majors aboard. One of the runners came around to score on a groundout and the game was tied 4-4 through eight.
Neither club was able to score in the ninth, so it was on to ghost runner extras.
In the top of the tenth, the Leafs rampaged with a series of solid at bats. Catcher Justin Marra began the inning on second base. He was not there for long, as Knecht hit a sharp single through the left side of the infield and Marra raced home. Call-up Spencer MacInnis followed with a pinch hit sacrifice bunt that moved Knecht to second. Second baseman Spenser Ross walked. Dan Marra grounded out to first, advancing both Knecht and Ross into scoring position. With two out, Dos Santos was intentionally walked to load the bases. Third baseman Jhon Javier worked the count full, then hit one up the middle to score Knecht and Ross. Moreno followed with another single that plated Dos Santos and the Leafs seized an 8-4 lead.
Rodriguez returned to the mound and got through the bottom of the tenth without surrendering a run. The Leafs took an 8-4 FINAL. Rodriguez earned his first win of the season and Jonathan Henry took the loss.
The Leafs offense came to life this night, racking up 15 hits in total. Castaldo, Knecht and Javier each notched three hits. Javier and Moreno both tallied two RBIs, and Castaldo, Dos Santos, Knecht, and Dan Marra each drove in one run.
Toronto 8 15 3
London 4 9 4
(10 innings)
W - Rodriguez (1-1, 4.32)
L - Henry (0-1, 11.57)
Sunday, June 1, 2025 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| After becoming only the fourth man in IBL history to hit 100 home runs, Jordan Castaldo was presented with the home run ball, the exclusive Toronto turbo chain of office, and his buttocks were blasted by a smoke machine, a Christie Pits tradition. |
Alexander. Da Vinci. Beethoven. Castaldo. The great men of history.
How fortunate are we lucky few alive to witness one of them ply his trade.
How fortunate are fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who get to witness history being made seemingly every game at Christie Pits.
Take yesterday. Jordan Castaldo hit a game-winning home run, a shot made more momentous by being his hundredth in the IBL. Only three others have notched more.
While Castaldo's achievement was rightfully honoured in a postgame ceremony, yesterday's victory was a total team effort.
It was a bullpen game for the ages. The Leafs sent seven pitchers to the mound. All seven pitched with tenacity. They bent but did not break, and Leaf bats delivered in the clutch.
Here come the Brantfords with their backsides bruised from 13-1, 9-2 and 20-5 defeats earlier in the weekend. If any club came to the Pits determined to win a game, it was these Red Sox.
They came out swinging.
Tim Holyk tagged Toronto opener Drew Howard for a two-run home run in the top of the first.
The following inning, the Red Sox scored three more off Howard, including a two-run homer by Christian Ortega.
The Leafs nibbled at the lead. In the first, they were gifted a run courtesy of a balk by starter Nicholai Arbach. In the second, second baseman Dan Marra drew a walk, advanced to third on a couple of plays, then ran home on a double steal. After two innings, Brantford led 5-2.
Adam Jafine pitched a scoreless top of the third.
In the bottom of the third, the Leafs edged closer. First baseman Justin Marra hit a solo home run, his first of the season. Right fielder Marcus Knecht followed him with a single. Arbach loaded the bases, and then walked catcher Matt Brandt (a junior call up) to score Knecht. It was Brantford 5-4 through three.
In the top of the fourth, the visitors pulled away again when Holyk hit his second two-run blast of the game, this time off Sam Spencer (another call up). That made it a 7-4 game.
Spencer got through the fifth before turning the ball over to Jeremy Newton. After putting a goose egg on the scoreboard, Newton handed the game to Chris Nagorski. The veteran pitched a scoreless top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Justin Marra singled and Knecht doubled. That set the stage for Dan Marra, who hit his first long potato of the year, a timely tater that tied the score 7-7.
Next out of the pen was Ayami Sato, greeted by boisterous cheers from the Christie hillsides. Sato replicated her opening day performance, needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. She gave up one hit, but the baserunner was nailed by Brandt while trying to steal second.
In the bottom of the eighth, the call to greatness beckoned. With one out, Castaldo came to the plate. The Leafs' DH worked a 1-1 count, then launched an opposite-field tree-killer, joining Randy Curran, Sean Reilly and Cleveland Brownlee as the only men to hit 100 home runs in IBL history. Castaldo watched with the rest of us as the ball sailed over the left field fence, then he commenced his centennial trot. His expression never changed.
With the Leafs ahead for the first time and the Pits buzzing, Justin Marra quietly stepped up to the plate and reminded everyone that he is that Justin Marra. He crushed a 3-1 pitch for his second round trip of the day and added a crucial insurance run to the Leafs' 9-7 lead. As the saying goes, stay humble but remind the bitches who you are.
Taylor Lepard took to the mound to close things out. Facing a 1-7 record to start the season, the Red Sox again came out swinging. Ortega hit a lead off homer that lit up the Brantford bench and silenced the rest of the park. Lepard shook it off. The next man up was Holyk, who almost went deep for the third time. He lit a screamer to left field. It wasn't high enough to leave the park, but hard enough to make life difficult for Ryan Dos Santos. Ranging to his right, Dos Santos leapt for the ball. It clipped the top of his glove and hung in the air long enough for him to whirl around and grab it for the out. Was it mad athleticism or divine intervention? Our Lady of Left Field, we give you thanks and praise. Lepard retired the next two batters to end the game.
The final score was 9-8 for the Leafs. Sato became the first woman in the 107-year history of the IBL with a W beside her name in the boxscore. Lepard earned his first save of the season and Colby Klepper took the L.
Leading the way at the plate, Dan Marra had three RBIs and a couple of hits. Brother Justin had three hits including two solo bombs. Castaldo and Brandt each recorded an RBI.
So many indelible memories of this day.
Brantford 8 11 1
Toronto 9 12 1
W - Sato (1-0, 12.60)
L - Klepper (0-2, 7.71)
S - Lepard (1)
The Leafs' weekend sweep gives them a 4-3 record. That lifts them to fifth place in the IBL standings, 2 1/2 games behind the undefeated Welland Jackfish. They next return to action in a Friday Nighter at Christie Pits.
The week ahead:
Friday, June 6 - Guelph Royals vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 pm at Christie Pits
Saturday, June 7 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, 7:05 pm at Fergie Jenkins Field
Sunday, June 8 - Welland Jackfish vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits
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