Leafs win 6-5
I am not of that school of muttering fogeydom that demands that all ballplayers bottle up their emotions and play the game like stoic robots.
Nor am I of the school of showing up the opposite side and parading around the ballpark after every play like a braying jackass.
But there is a middle ground, where an athlete should be free to celebrate a great performance, and release the passion that burns within.
There was such a moment at the end of today's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Guelph Royals at Hastings Stadium.
Having just thrown a 171-pitch, come-from-behind complete game victory, Leafs starter Dillon Mulholland flung his glove into the air and shouted "Yeah!" After a performance like that, the dude had earned himself a "Yeah!", even a "Hell Yeah!", but let's not ruin the sport.
Mulholland's "screw the pitch count" gem topped off an afternoon of passionate play from the Leafs. Aggression on the basepaths, assertion at the plate, slammed helmets in the dugout, and a steady stream of chatter to pick each other up. They fell behind 3-1 after the first inning, but battled back and beat nine hits out of the Royals en route to a 6-5 win.
RBIs were provided by Grant Tamane, Dan Marra, Johnathan Solazzo, Will Richards and Justin Marra. Solazzo banged out three hits on the day to raise his club-leading batting average to .500.
The Royals held the visitors in close for most of the game, and their ballpark's expanded dimensions held Toronto's sluggers at bay. With the score tied 5-5, the day was decided in the ninth. Luck and patience worked in the Leafs' favour as they loaded the bases for Justin Marra, who drew a walk to bring home the winning run.
Mulholland wanted to close it out. The young Royals battled him for 20 more pitches before he finally nailed down the 27th out and launched his glove to the heavens.
Game Recap:
The Toronto Maple Leafs visited reconfigured Hastings Stadium for the first time this season. Matt Schmidt was on the mound for the Guelph Royals against Dillon Mulholland, making his first start of 2016.
Toronto got on the scoreboard first. Centerfielder and OBP machine Grant Tamane led off with a walk. He stole second base and scored on a double by first baseman Johnathan Solazzo. After throwing 18 pitches, Schmidt left the game with an arm issue and was relieved by Adrian Yuen.
It looked like it might be a short afternoon for Mulholland. He surrendered three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first. Shortstop Kingsley Alarcon singled and stole second, then scored on a double by third baseman Richard Gill. Leftfielder Aaron Loder followed with an RBI single to score Gill. Loder also stole second, then scored on a single by first baseman Brendan Power. 3-1 Royals after one.
The Leafs got one back in the top of the third. Rightfielder Jon Waltenbury led off with a walk, then moved to third on a single by Solazzo. Leftfielder Will Richards then drove in Waltenbury on a doubleplay. 3-2 Royals midway through the third.
In the bottom of the third, Gill drew a walk, then stole second. He moved to third on a single by Power. Then Power attempted to steal second. Catcher Brendan Keys' throw resulted in an error, Power was safe and Gill scored. 4-2 Royals after three.
The Leafs battled back in the top of the 6th. DH Justin Marra and Keys both reached base on walks. Singles by Tamane and Dan Marra brought them both in to score, and ended Yuen's emergency relief appearance. Ryan Greco came in to get out of the inning, but the score was tied 4-4.
Both clubs grabbed another run each in the 7th. Solazzo and Richards were walked aboard. A passed ball moved them to third and second respectively. Solazzo then came roaring home on an error by catcher Saul Tahuite to give the Leafs their first lead of the game 5-4.
The Royals scored right back in the bottom of the 7th. DH Steven Saatz led off with a walk, then moved to second on a walk to second baseman Trevor Nyp. Rightfielder Chandler McLaren tied the game with an RBI single that plated Saatz and the score was knotted at 5 through seven innings of play.
A scoreless 8th meant that the game came down to the final outs. Solazzo led off with his third hit of the day on a close call at first. A grounder to Power left him scrambling and diving back to the bag to make the out, but the 1B umpire called Solazzo safe. This prompted a visit from Guelph manager Steve Scagnetti, to no avail. Richards was grazed by the very next pitch, putting two men aboard. Third baseman Sean Mattson then walked to load the bases. Justin Marra was up next, and he too drew a walk, and Solazzo crossed the plate with the winning run. Jeff MacLeod relieved Greco to get out of the inning, but the Leafs now led 6-5.
At 151 pitches, Mulholland came out to start the 9th. Saatz and Tahuite both battled him before being retired. Saatz's strikeout gave Mulholland eight on the day. Up next, Nyp succeeded in reaching base on balls, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. That was as far as he would get, as Alarcon grounded to third, where Mattson scooped it up and lasered it to first for the final out and the 6-5 FINAL for Toronto.
Toronto 6-9-1
Guelph 5-6-2
W - Mulholland (1-0, 3.27)
L - Greco (0-1, 7.71)
BOXSCORE
The Maple Leafs are now 2-1 and in 4th place in the IBL standings.
Their next game will be back home at Christie Pits on Sunday, May 22 against the Brantford Red Sox.
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