Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - May 29 to June 4, 2023
Another winning week saw the Leafs remain atop the standings with a 7-3 record.
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| Look who's on board again. Dan Marra's .541 on-base percentage is second on the team and his sizzling .433 batting average leads all the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. |
Goin' well.
The bats are hot, the arms are hot. There have been some bumps on the road but that's baseball.
The core has picked up where they left off. The newcomers have added depth. The Toronto Maple Leafs are running - and hitting, and pitching, and fielding - like a well-oiled machine and skipper Rob Butler has slid effortlessly behind the wheel.
Goin' well.
The Leafs took on Kitchener in a battle for first place to wrap up the month of May. They won in convincing fashion and it was on to Steeltown to begin a three-game QEW series.
Remember the bumps in the road? The Leafmobile hit a Barton Street-sized pothole on Friday night. They suffered a blowout defeat but bounced right back on Sunday at Christie Pits to stay on pace for first place.
Crowds at the Pits have been bigger than in recent years and the boys on field have been providing a fantastic show so far.
Yes, it's goin' well. Get on down there and take in the vibes.
And now here's the recap of Week 3 in Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 - Kitchener Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Julian Valdez serves up a pitch, and served up a win for the Mapes in a battle of first-place teams. |
The first Christie Pits Wednesday Nighter of the season brought together the IBL's two top teams for the month of May.
The 5-2 Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the 4-1 Kitchener Panthers for an early-season battle that did not disappoint.
As if to wring every last drop of pregame anticipation out of the situation, the game incurred a couple of delays. The visitors' bus arrived just 15 minutes before the first scheduled pitch, and the Christie grounds crew was way late in completing the field. First pitch flew a half hour behind schedule.
The Black Cats pounced first, scratching starter Julian Valdez for one run in the top of the first inning.
Toronto tied the game in the bottom of the second. Second baseman Dan Marra singled and moved to third on a single by right fielder J.J. Dutton. A single by shortstop Jose Vinicio plated Marra to make it 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Leafs lit up Kitchener starter Yamichel Perez. The entire batting order got a crack at him, racking up three doubles, three singles and drawing a pair of walks. Five Mapes crossed home plate to run the score up to 6-1 through three. On the Christie hillsides, there was much rejoicing.
The fun continued in the fourth. Catcher Justin Marra bopped his third home run of the season to make it 7-1.
Fans wanted more and they got it. Three more singles loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth. Vinicio drove in his second run of the night, and a bases-loaded balk by Perez brought another run home and ended his miserable night. 9-1 Leafs after six. Start the bus!
In the seventh and eighth innings, Kitchener combined to score five runs off Leaf relievers Ryan Wells and Julian Russell. The Leafs responded with five runs of their own off Kitchener relievers. Vinicio ended the night with three RBIs, and both Justin and Dan Marra each recorded one.
The final score of this slugfest was 14-6. Starter Valdez earned his first win of the season and the Leafs ended the month of May atop the IBL standings.
Kitchener 6 10 2
Toronto 14 17 0
W - Valdez (1-0, 3.52)
L - Perez (1-1, 11.81)
Friday, June 2, 2023 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals
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| Another Cardinals run crosses the plate - an oft-repeated scene in the Hammer on Friday night. (Photo: Ethan Hammond-Srsan / Hamilton Cardinals) |
Friday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were up on the mountain in Hamilton to play the Cardinals for the first time in 2023.
After a busy week of rocking and rolling, I retired to the estate for a few days of R&R. As Friday evening went on, I stopped to check the score online and almost choked on my BBQ. Hamilton 12, Toronto 0 in the eighth inning.
What? Was? Happening??
Answer: Colby Ring was happening. The Hamilton starter shut down and shut out the powerful Leafs batting order over six innings. He surrendered just two hits and struck out eight en route to a 12-5 final score. Toronto hurlers Zach Sloan and Marek Deska were each victimized for six earned runs.
BBQ ruined.
Plucky as hell, the Leafs did not go down without a fight. With all hope lost, they still rallied for five runs in the ninth inning. RBIs came off the bats of catcher Justin Marra, pinch hitter David Alvarez and right fielder Yoichi Ishihara.
It was the Leafs' first clunker of the season. Better now than in September, yeah? The club would have an opportunity to avenge the defeat 48 hours later, back home at Christie Pits. I shall now place an expectant ellipsis at the end here...
Toronto 5 8 0
Hamilton 12 10 1
W - Ring (1-1, 0.81)
L - Sloan (0-1, 9.00)
Sunday, June 4, 2023 - Hamilton Cardinals at Toronto Maple Leafs
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| An ace effort by starting pitcher Sam Greene delivered a dub for the Leafs and another one for himself. |
...and vengeance was had.
On a brilliant sunny afternoon at Christie Pits, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hamilton Cardinals continued their series.
A huge crowd was treated to a pitchers duel before the Leafs came on strong in the later innings to seal an 8-5 victory.
Starters Sam Greene and Jayson Wilbur went pitch-for-pitch over the first five innings. Greene gave up a pair of runs in the third inning, and the Leafs got them back to tie the game in the fourth. With the bases loaded, left fielder J.J. Dutton reached first on an error and two runs scored. It was a 2-2 game through four innings.
Bottom of the sixth, the Leafs took command of the game. Second baseman Dan Marra led off with the first of his two doubles on the day. DH Ryan Burnside reached safely on an error that moved Marra to third. Marra scored on a single by Dutton. A sac fly by right fielder Gregory Carrington scored Burnside. Singles by shortstop Jose Vinicio and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo resulted in two more runs coming home. The Leafs pulled ahead 6-2 through six.
Greene's ace effort was done after six and the bullpen took over. Dan Procopio gave up a pair of runs over two innings. The Leafs got those runs right back thanks to one of Hamilton's three errors on the day, and an RBI single by centerfielder Ryan Santos. Through eight innings, the Leafs led 8-4.
A solo home run off Wilgenis Alvarado was all the Cardinals could muster in the ninth, as the Venezuelan closed it out for an 8-5 final score. Greene earned his second win of the season.
The QEW series is not over. The rubber match will take place this weekend at Bernie's.
Prior to Sunday's game, the Christie community came together to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Christie Pits Riot. Canada's worst-ever race riot took place over six hours one summer night in 1933. Pro-Nazi agitators came to the Pits to disrupt a ballgame and attack the Jewish community. Local Italians banded together with their Jewish neighbours to fight back and put a stop to the bullshit. On Sunday, elected representatives including Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie were on hand to mark the occasion, there were singers and dancers, and ceremonial first pitches were tossed by descendants of Jewish and Italian individuals who were present at the riot. Never again.
Hamilton 5 9 3
Toronto 8 13 1
W - Greene (2-0, 2.50)
L - Peters (1-1, 3.48)
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Another winning week sees the Maple Leafs raise their record to 7-3. They are in a three-way tie for first place in the IBL standings with the Kitchener Panthers and Welland Jackfish.
The week ahead:
Friday, June 9 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals, 7:35 pm at Bernie Arbour's Stadium
Saturday, June 10 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 6:05 pm at Welland's Stadium
Sunday, June 11 - Guelph Royals vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Mr. Christie's Pits
