Playoff Preview: Leafs and Baycats Bring the Horsepower

2015 IBL Semi-Finals: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Barrie Baycats

Engines will be revving, tires will be smoking and the highway will be burning.

The schedule for the Toronto Maple Leafs' semi-final playoff series versus the Barrie Baycats has been confirmed:


Game 1: Tuesday, August 11 @ Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, August 12 @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, August 15 @ Barrie, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, August 16 @ Toronto, 2:00 p.m.
*Game 5: Tuesday, August 18 @ Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 6: Wednesday, August 19 @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 7: Thursday, August 20 @ Barrie, 7:30 p.m.


Based on the regular season standings, one might expect a David and Goliath matchup here.  Barrie cruised to the IBL pennant with a 28-7 record, while the Leafs stumbled to a 6th place finish at 15-21.  Barrie also won the season series 5 to 1.

But as they say, it's a whole new ballgame in the playoffs.  Both clubs roared through their first round matchups.  Barrie swept the Guelph Royals, while the Leafs stunned the Brantford Red Sox - winners of seven of the last nine league championships.  The Leafs mounted an unforgettable comeback in game four, overcoming a 12-run deficit and proving that no lead is safe at the Pits.

Both clubs brought the horsepower big time:

Team batting in the first round was .338 for Barrie, and .321 for Toronto

Runs scored was 30 for Barrie (7.5 runs a game over four games) and 48 for Toronto (9.6 runs a game over five games).

In terms of team ERA, Barrie held the edge at 2.75 to Toronto's 5.20.

Barrie pitchers rang up 41 strikeouts to Toronto's 38.

Rather than David and Goliath, it's more a matchup of two engines that are revving on high.  Each game could break into a slugfest at any moment.  Scoring records could be decimated.

The other inescapable storyline is the crossover of players between these two clubs.  I can't think of another pair of IBL teams that have exchanged so many players over the past several years.  Toronto's roster includes former Baycats Brendan Keys (above), Jon Waltenbury, Sean Mattson and Adam Garner, while practically all of Barrie's starting lineup consists of ex-Leafs.  There's a familiarity, a friendliness, and a rivalry to these clubs that will make for a memorable semi-final, starting tomorrow night in Barrie. 

You'll want to wake your dead relatives for this one.