Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - August 24 to 30, 2026
Week 16 saw an arduous Maple Leafs season come to an end.
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| Yasiel Puig is the CBL's new single-season home run king. |
It's over.
One of the most challenging seasons of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball has ended.
By Week 16, the postseason was out of reach, the roster was depleted, and the team was playing out the string.
The week began with another apocalyptic blowout, this one at the hands of the last-place Chatham-Kent Barnstormers.
Two days later at Christie Pits, the signature signing of 2026 - Yasiel Puig - stamped his name in the CBL record book by breaking Sean Reilly's single-season home run mark.
Friday, the final night at the Pits this year was an epic six-hour doubleheader. The Leafs ended the night by blowing out the Kitchener Panthers, the perfect parting gift to the legions of fans who stayed faithful through the past four months.
On the weekend, the Leafs set out on their final road trip, a cruel two-day march through Welland and back to Chatham. The lineup was pieced together like fridge magnet poetry. A pitcher played infield, an outfielder pitched. And I'm not even talking about Ben Sitarenios.
The Jackfish shut the Leafs out. That proved to be the final result of the year. The slog to Chatham was postponed by rain. The following day, the game was cancelled, never to be played.
Two wins, three losses and an eighth place finish. Season over.
As horrid as the 2026 campaign has been, the Leafs always showed up. No matter how short the bench, no matter how many aches and pains ran through it. This week, they showed up and battled on despite the season being lost. The Leafs conducted themselves like a bunch of heroes right to the end. Let that be one of the memories we carry forward.
And now, here's the recap of Week 16 in Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.
Monday, August 24, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Chatham-Kent Barnstormers (rescheduled rainout)
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| Alex Gerard, one of us now. (file photo) |
A blooding.
It's a term from English football, when a manager throws a youngster onto the pitch late in a match to take the first scrapes and bruises of his professional career.
Monday night at Fergie Jenkins Field, Toronto Maple Leafs pitcher Alex Gerard was thrown onto the mound to face the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers. It was the sixth inning and the Leafs were down 15-5.
It was not Gerard's first appearance for the Leafs. Back in early July, the 21-year-old from Ajax faced three batters at Christie Pits. This evening, he was left out there to bleed. He faced 15 batters across three innings and gave up six runs on four hits and two walks. He also recorded six strikeouts and earned the respect of his teammates and Leaf fans. Dude you are one of us now. Hero!
The game ended 24-7, the fourth game in 2026 in which the Leafs gave up 20 runs or more.
It followed a familiar pattern. A close couple of innings before the opponents take a lead, they add to it, then one big inning blows the game up for good.
The Barnstormers, rapacious jerks, were not content with one big inning. They mounted a second one later and set a franchise record for scoring in a game. Wow, jerks!
Not their fault, really. The Leafs have been hampered by pitching woes all year. Yuto Nakata performed well in his first couple of starts. This evening, he got walloped for 12 hits and gave up eight runs, striking out only four. Reinaldo De Paula was tagged for seven runs (three earned), Gerard for six, and Frankie Gulko three more.
For Toronto, it was not all consternation and horror. Designated hitter Yasiel Puig entered the CBL history book by swatting two home runs over the left field fence. That gave him 21 on the season, tying the mark set by Sean Reilly with the Leafs in 2013.
With five games remaining in the season, Puig had many opportunities to break the record.
Puig's dingers were both solo shots. He had three hits and two RBIs on the night. Second baseman Yordan Manduley matched those numbers. Left fielder Yolki Pena and first baseman Ben Sitarenios drove in one run each.
Aden Ryan recorded his third win of the year, Nakata his third loss.
Toronto 7 13 6
Chatham 24 22 0
W - Ryan (3-5, 11.94)
L - Nakata (1-3, 5.68)
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs (rescheduled rainout)
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| Dennis Dei Baning rounds third after going YARD with a game-winner. |
Alex Nelson stood by himself over by the soccer pitch.
The Toronto Maple Leafs staffer was primed in case history came his way.
Several of his colleagues were spread out strategically on the outer side of Dominico Field's outfield fences. Acting like loners, hoping to keep the space to themselves.
It was the bottom of the third inning at Christie Pits. A game meaningless to the standings, but ripe with importance.
Yasiel Puig was up to bat.
The right fielder had singled in the first inning, raising his average to a league-leading .404, but that number was also meaningless in the moment.
The one on everyone's mind was 22. One more home run by Puig would give him that many on the season, more than anyone has ever hit in the IBL-now-CBL.
Nelson braced for an incoming projectile but Puig singled again, .408. The loners blended back into the crowd.
By that point in the game, the Leafs trailed the Brantford Red Sox 2-1.
The Mapes had grabbed a lead in the first inning thanks to an RBI grounder by second baseman Yordan Manduley. Brantford's Tim Holyk homered in the second and Christian Ortega hit a sac fly to put their side ahead.
In his third start of the season, Frankie Gulko pitched into the fourth inning. He was relieved by Graham Sim, who allowed Ortega to whack a two-run homer in the top of the fifth.
Bottom of the fifth, Leafs trailing 4-1, Puig returned to the plate with one out. Certain people positioned themselves strategically. Nelson, his colleagues, kids, ball hounds, even some men wearing home white uniforms. Reinaldo De Paula, Luis Florentino and Yolki Pena had strolled over to that area when Puig's at-bat approached.
Puig took a called strike from Jose Arias, and then, KA-POW! Number 22 soared over the fence in left, headed for a group of people.
Nelson was right there.
"I was right behind it actually," he reported after. "From what I saw it went into a group of about eight, one whiffed on it in the air and De Paula was able to jump right on the first bounce."
De Paula made the easy scoop and ran back to the field with teammates Luis Florentino and Yolki Pena, holding the historic ball aloft like a prize.
That wasn't even the most exciting moment of the night.
Puig's blast made it a 4-2 game. In the top of the sixth, the Red Sox extended their lead when Christian Kuzemka of Illinois hit an RBI single off of reliever Kyle Poapst.
Bottom six, Arias still on the mound, left fielder Dennis Dei Baning hit an electrifying home run that cleared two fences. I am not making this shit up. First pitch, KA-POW! The ball was a no-doubter that screamed right over the concessions stand. It bounced outside the men's restroom, then continued up and over the fence into the little league field. Frenzied kids sprinted after it and adults whooped and hollered. Man, people were going crazy.
And the Leafs were still losing 5-3 through six.
Bottom seven, two Leafs on base, centerfielder J.J. Dutton hit a sac fly to make it a 5-4 ballgame. People sensed something big coming. DH Marcus Knecht singled to put two men aboard again, bringing Dei Baning back to the plate. First pitch, KA-POW! It cleared the fence, it cleared the moon. A three-run bomb that lit up the Pits. Anyone still holding it in let it all out. Dei Baning bounded around the bases feeding off the energy directed his way. Hero! The Leafs were up 7-5 through seven.
In the top of the eighth, the Carmines snuck one more run across the plate when De Paula uncorked a wild pitch. De Paula closed it out in the ninth for a 7-5 FINAL. Having saved Number 22 for posterity, he saved the game too. Poapst was the winner, Arias the loser, and the Pits reveled in the awesomeness of the night.
Brantford 6 10 0
Toronto 7 13 1
W - Poapst (2-0, 12.39)
L - Arias (3-4, 8.58)
S - De Paula (1)
Friday, August 28, 2026 - Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs (rescheduled rainout/doubleheader)
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| Closer-turned-opener Luis Florentino made his first start out of 16 appearances this season. |
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Kitchener Panthers put on a six-hour show to wrap up the home side of the 2026 schedule at Christie Pits.
With seventh place on the line, the clubs split a doubleheader.
The first game saw closer Luis Florentino make his first start of the season, facing former Leaf Evan Elliott on the mound.
The Panthers scored a run in each of the first two innings. Trent Lawson hit a sac fly to break the ice, and Rafael Gross hit an RBI single in the second inning.
In the bottom of the third, the Leafs surged ahead. Right fielder Yasiel Puig doubled in a pair of runs and DH Marcus Knecht hit a sac fly to make it a 3-2 game through three.
Making his first start in 16 appearances this season, Florentino completed four innings. It was his longest outing of the year and he departed with a lead. Hero!
In the top of the fifth inning, Alex Lanigan came on in relief. The first batter he faced was Lawson, who smacked a home run to tie the game. Lanigan, Frankie Gulko and Reinaldo De Paula combined to keep the Panthers from scoring any further through the seven regulation innings of a CBL doubleheader.
Meanwhile, Elliott went the distance. He kept the Leafs from adding any more runs, and kept drawing the ire of fans with his stalling tactics. Stepping off the mound, looking in for an eternity, stepping off again. Antics. Greeted by boos. By my estimation, Elliott averaged three minutes and 45 seconds between pitches.* He presented a strong argument for the league to bring in a pitch clock.
The game remained 3-3 after seven, so the game went to extras and out came the ghost runners.
Graham Sim came on to pitch the eighth and the Panthers immediately seized the day. They pounced on Sim for four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk. In the bottom of the inning, the Leafs were unable to respond and the game ended in a 7-3 FINAL for Kitchener.
Mr. Pitch Clock went eight innings for the win while Sim absorbed his first loss of the season.
* Using my own inner clock and not any electronic device.
GAME 1
Kitchener 7 15 2
Toronto 3 7 0
(eight innings)
W - Elliott (4-7, 7.51)
L - Sim (0-1, 11.74)
After a 30-minute break, the teams returned to the diamond for the second game.
Under nighttime skies at Christie Pits, Veteran southpaw Wilgenis Alvarado made his 38th start as a Maple Leaf and final start of the season. The Venezuelan pitched five solid innings and the boys with the bats did the rest. The Leafs easily took game two 13-3.
Everybody in the lineup got in on this one. All but one recorded at least one hit, and everybody scored at least one run. It was a decisive pummeling fans at the Pits have seen too little of this year. So it was nice to end the home season with a bang.
Make that four bangs. Two off the bat of DH Yasiel Puig, one by right fielder Marcus Knecht and one by catcher Matt Brandt.
The Leafs scored early and often, kicking four different Panther pitchers around. Four runs in the first, another in the second, four more in the third.
As glow sticks waved on the hillsides, Alvarado pitched five innings and departed the game with a line of three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out four. Hero!
After five innings, the Leafs led 9-3. They helped themselves to four more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Kyle Poapst pitched two scoreless innings to wrap this one up. Leafs with the 13-3 FINAL. Alvarado finally landed his second win of the year and Ernesto Punales took the loss.
Puig led the way with three RBIs. Knecht, Brandt and first baseman Yolki Pena each drove in a pair. Second baseman Yordan Manduley, left fielder Dennis Dei Baning and third baseman Crix Taveras each drove in one run.
After the final out, Leafs fans were declared the MVPs of the game.
The good vibes continued as the entire team gathered to salute the hillsides before leaving the field for the last time. People lingered a few minutes longer than usual, saying goodbyes and well wishes. After the field was cleared, the park fell silent and the lights went out on this season of baseball at the Pits.
For the players, a final gruelling road trip remained on their weekend itineraries.
GAME 2
Kitchener 3 9 3
Toronto 13 11 3
W - Alvarado (2-7, 9.49)
L - Punales (1-2, 10.20)
BOXSCORE
Saturday, August 29, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish
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| Yolki Pena: Toronto's surprise new bullpen ace? |
Wiped out in Welland.
That's the easiest way to describe it, after the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the postseason-bound Jackfish by a score of 9-0.
The 'Fish sent their ace Ben Abram to the mound against Yuto Nakata. Abram ended up pitching a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and striking out nine.
First baseman Yordan Manduley and catcher Matt Brandt each recorded a pair of hits. Shortstop Spenser Ross, right fielder Marcus Knecht and centerfielder Ben Sitarenios each got one.
Nakata struggled through a long first inning as Welland sent 11 men to the plate. Toronto's late-season arrival threw over 40 pitches. He gave up four hits and two walks and the home side went up 5-0 after the first.
The man from Japan pitched into the fifth and was knocked out of the game when Gio Morello hit a three-run homer. With two outs in the inning, Yolki Pena - yes, that Yolki Pena - entered the game as a relief pitcher. After walking the first batter he faced, he got the next man up to ground out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Pena came alive. He retired the side with two strikeouts. He also pitched a scoreless seventh. When a position player comes takes to the mound, the potential for disaster is ever present but Pena handled the task brilliantly. Hero!
It would be unfair not to mention perhaps the team's biggest hero of not just this week but the entire month of August. Yordan Manduley has been playing with one healthy ankle since going down injury on August 8th. He has been limping around the infield to make plays and busting it down the line on hits. Selfless dedication. Hero among heroes!
The Leafs were unable to mount a comeback. Sitarenios pitched the eighth inning and gave up one run to make it 9-0. That was the FINAL in Welland. Abram had his best performance of the season and won his sixth game. Nakata lost his fourth.
The final weekend proved to be not as gruelling as expected. The following day's season finale in Chatham was rained out and ultimately cancelled.
Toronto 0 7 4
Welland 9 11 0
W - Abram (6-1, 3.38)
L - Nakata (1-4, 6.00)
Sunday, August 30, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Chatham-Kent Barnstormers
This game was rained out and cancelled.
** END OF REGULAR SEASON **
