Leafs win 16-4
It was movie night last night at Christie Pits, and they were showing Psycho on a huge outdoor screen at the south end of the park.
Over at Dominico Field, a thriller of a different sort unfolded.
Dark omens met my arrival. Grey clouds and darkening skies were already casting a gloom over Toronto's sunken ballpark. A relative of one of the Leafs players approached me.
"Justin Marra's not here."
"What do you mean?"
"He couldn't get out of work."
"Are you kidding me?"
Concerned looks were exchanged. Down on the field, the Leafs warmed up for the most important game of their season without their starting catcher and game-changing home run machine. In his absence they were forced to rejig their lineup.
Player-manager Damon Topolie was suited up to play first base. Brendan Keys was behind home plate. Jon Waltenbury was in the outfield.
Under these foreboding circumstances, Game 6 of the Leafs' semifinal series against the London Majors got underway.
London scored immediately.
Mike Wagner -- late-season revelation and postseason star -- coughed up a run in the first inning. If London could keep it going and build a bigger lead, the Leafs' season could be about to end.
Then the stage whispers began.
"He's here!" That was Papa Tops.
"He's in the clubhouse!" That was Heads Up On The Hill.
"He's coming!" That was several more voices at once.
Like a scene from a movie, suited up and running to the Leafs bench was Justin Marra, freed from the tyranny of his bosses, ready to play baseball.
The timing could not have been better. Seriously, it was ridiculous. It was the bottom of the second inning and the Leafs had battled back against London starter Owen Boon. With two runs already on the board and the bases loaded, Mr. Announcer delivered the news:
"Pinch hitting for Damon Topolie is number nine, Justin Marra."
The stage whispers rose to a buzz all around the ballpark. Looking like he'd been there all along, Marra calmly stepped up to the plate.
First pitch, KA-POW! Opposite field, grand slam. Christie Pits went bananas.
With one swing of the bat, Marra blew the game open and put the lead out of reach. That's baseball in Hollywood North.
In addition to Marra's instant legend grand slam, Grant Tamane launched a three-run opposite field bomb late in the game to drive the Pits wild again.
With the exception of Topolie (who laid down a sac bunt in his only plate appearance), each member of the Leafs recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run. Jon Waltenbury clouted four hits, Connor Lewis scored three times -- hell, everyone did something last night. I'm trying to keep it brief.
Wagner settled down and went 6.2 innings for the win. Adam Garner wrapped things up over the final 2.1 innings.
The Leafs went on to crush the Majors 16-4, swing all the momentum back in their favour, and set the stage for a deciding seventh game in this series.
Game Recap:
With the season on the line, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed the London Majors to Christie Pits for Game 6 of their semifinal series. Mike Wagner made the start for Canada's Team against Owen Boon for the visitors from old London town.
London immediately put a run on the board in the first. Leftfielder RJ Fuhr hit a triple and then scored on a sac fly by shortstop Keith Kandel. 1-0 Majors after one.
Wagner pitched a scoreless top of the 2nd.
The game was blown open the bottom of the 2nd as the Leafs sent 12 men to the plate, scored eight runs and knocked Boon out of the game after he recorded just five outs. It started with a leadoff single by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo. He was eliminated at second on a fielder's choice by shortstop Ryan White. Second baseman Dan Marra walked next. A single by catcher Brendan Keys then drove in White to tie the game. Centerfielder Connor Lewis was up next and he hit a grounder that Kandel misplayed for an error, allowing Marra to score. Rightfielder Jon Waltenbury's second single of the game loaded the bases. This brought Justin Marra to the plate as a pinch hitter. Marra had been delayed arriving to the game and Damon Topolie had taken his place in the order. Marra did not hesitate to make his mark on the game, smashing the first pitch from Boon over the left field fence for a grand slam. The Leafs weren't finished yet. DH Sean Mattson singled, and then Solazzo doubled on his second plate appearance of the inning. White then drove them both in with a two-RBI single. That ended Boon's night as Todd Leavitt relieved him on the mound and got the final out. At the end of their one big inning, the Leafs enjoyed an 8-1 lead.
Justin Marra took over behind the plate for Toronto, shifting Keys to right field and Waltenbury to first base to start the top of the 3rd.
Wagner and Leavitt both pitched goose eggs in the 3rd and 4th innings.
Trying to chip away at their deficit, London put another run on the board in the top of the 5th. DH Kyle Gormandy and third baseman Carlos Arteaga both singled. A double play moved Gormandy to third while wiping out Arteaga and second baseman Chris McQueen. Fuhr returned to the plate and drilled a pitch from Wagner deep into the gap in left center. The ball slipped under the outfield fence and even though Fuhr circled the bases and crossed home plate, the umps called a ground rule double. Gormandy had scored on the play, however, making it 8-2 Toronto. Wagner got out of the inning with no further damage.
The Leafs however, piled on the damage in the bottom of the 5th. Lewis advanced to first on an error by Arteaga at third. Waltenbury singled again, moving Lewis to third. Justin Marra drew a walk to load the bases, bringing Mattson to the plate. Mattson hit a single to cash in Lewis and Waltenbury. The next man up was Solazzo, who doubled to drive in Mattson and Marra. It was now 12-2 Toronto through five innings.
Wagner pitched a scoreless top of the 6th, and Brett Sabourin took over on the mound for London in the bottom of the inning. He too pitched a scoreless inning.
Fuhr drew a walk from Wagner to start the top of the 7th. A double by centerfielder Byron Reichstein drove him home. After throwing 128 pitches over 6.2 innings, Wagner was relieved by Adam Garner. He quickly finished the inning with a strikeout and it was a 12-3 ballgame through seven.
Four more runs went up on the board for Toronto in the bottom of the 8th. It started with a single by Dan Marra. Keys was then hit by a pitch from Sabourin. Lewis doubled to drive in Marra, moving Keys to third. Up next was Grant Tamane, who went oppo taco with a 3-run blast over the fence in right. It was Tamane's first home run of 2016, and a final, booming exclamation point to the game. Christie Pits saluted him boisterously. 16-3 for the Mapes after eight innings.
Garner returned to the mound to finish off the 9th. McQueen singled, Fuhr walked, and Kandel reached first safely on a fielding error by Dan Marra that allowed McQueen to score. Reichstein then walked to load the bases. Garner hunkered down, first getting first baseman Cleveland Brownlee to hit into a double play, and then getting catcher Michael Ambrose to ground out to end the game with a 16-4 FINAL score for Toronto.
London 4-12-3
Toronto 16-16-1
W - Wagner (4-0, 2.45)
L - Boon (1-2, 7.26)
BOXSCORE
This series is going to Game 7. Tomorrow night, August 28 at Labatt Memorial Park.
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