Canada Day marks the start of the final month of IBL regular season. The 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs have neither rocked (like 18-3 Barrie) nor sucked (like 3-16 Burlington). Instead, they have maintained a steady, up-down 11-10 record, good for 4th place and a shot at the post-season.
Tonight they were in London to face the Majors. I avoided the holiday driving hell and followed the game on Pointstreak.
The game breezed along in the early going. Starting pitchers Deinys Suarez and Jas Shergill got through the first three innings easy. There was just one hit by London in the early going.
Things came alive in the 4th. With two outs in the top of the inning, the Leafs loaded the bases and DH Jalen Harris hit an RBI single that scored shortstop Dan Marra.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Majors got a pair of two-out singles, but Shergill got out of it.
In the bottom of the 6th, the fireworks started early at Labatt Park. Humberto Ruiz hit a lead off home run to tie the game at 1-1.
The close contest was blown open in the 7th. Byron Reichstein hit a two-run homer off Shergill that made it 3-1. Meltdown followed. The Majors ended up sending 12 men to the plate. They racked up 8 runs on 5 hits and 2 errors off Shergill and his replacement Justin Lawrence. When the smoke cleared the Majors enjoyed a 9-1 lead.
Another mark of the 2014 Leafs is that even in the worst thrashings they still battle. Down by eight runs, they didn't just roll over. Instead, eight Leafs came to bat in a 9th inning rally. (Reportedly there was a much different scene in Guelph this afternoon). (Then again, I wasn't in London and for all I know the Leafs may have gotten into a huge dugout brawl with themselves. Fists thrown, teeth dislodged. Just one of the things you don't get to experience via Pointstreak, like Glenn Jackson's "Sounds of the Game" and Jon Waltenbury's equipment tosses.)
Back to the 9th inning...
Harris hit his second single of the night, then leftfielder Justin Gianfrancesco and catcher Tony Alvarez drew walks off reliever Josh Palmer. With the bases loaded, rightfielder Darryl Pui reached base on an error that scored Harris. A flyout by centerfielder Glenn Jackson scored Gianfrancesco, but that was all she wrote as Palmer nailed down a 9-3 win for the Majors.
Toronto 3-7-2
London 9-10-2
W - Suarez (2-0)
L - Shergill (1-1)
BOXSCORE
The Maple Leafs have slipped back to .500 with an 11-11 record. They remain in 4th place, 7.5 games behind the rampaging Barrie Baycats. Their next game is in Brantford on Friday, July 4th against the Red Sox.
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