Leafs Rampage in Season Finale

Game 32: Brantford Red Sox at Toronto Maple Leafs, August 5, 2018 (rescheduled rainout)

Leafs win 20-7

Peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys. Every baseball season has them.

You want valleys? How about a ten-game losing streak for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the final month of the IBL season. By the end of the July slump, the Leafs had fallen out of the upper echelon of the standings and they found themselves battling to secure a decent playoff spot. During the ordeal, your humble correspondent spent many a night cursing the sport for ever being invented.

Well, July is over and the Leafs are playing a new tune. Vivat August!

The Leafs surfed into a new month on a pair of wins, clinching 4th place and a first round playoff matchup against the Guelph Royals with home field advantage. Peaking at the right time.

Yesterday, the Leafs absolutely pulverized the Brantford Red Sox, 20-7. Leading the pulverization was Grant Tamane (above), one of the Leafs' most reliable players in the clutch.

In his five seasons with the Leafs, Tamane has done virtually everything for the team. Dependable starter. Flexible backup. Super-utility guy. Playoff hero. He's done everything except pitch and yell "HEADS UP ON THE HILL" during play.

When the occasion demanded it, Tamane delivered again. He went 4-for-6 on the day and drove in six runs to lead the rampage.

Brantford actually led this game at one point. A couple of errors in the outfield and a wild pitch by starter Will Newton gifted the Red Sox a run in the top of the first.

The Leafs loaded the bases in the bottom of the first. Rightfielder Greg Carrington singled to drive in a run, and then Tamane drove in two more with a single to make it a 3-1 ballgame after one.

In the top of the third, a bases-loaded single by Daniel Jagdeo tied the game 3-3.

The Leafs started the bottom of the third with three straight singles. That brought Tamane to the plate again, and he hit a two-run single. Another run came in courtesy of an error that allowed DH Daniel Szpik to reach first safely. With two men on, first baseman Mike Reeves came to the plate, and he smashed the first pitch from Brantford starter Blake Kauer for a three-run homer. Six runs gave Toronto a 9-3 lead after three.

Nick DaSilva pitched a scoreless fourth inning in relief of Newton before turning it over to Adam Marra. Over the next three innings, the Red Sox would scrape out four runs to make it a 9-7 game through six-and-a-half innings of play.

At that point, the Red Sox moved Kauer to right field and outfielder Andris Rizquez to the mound. These moves were not sound. Three walks loaded the bases, and a run scored when third baseman Johnathan Solazzo grounded into a double play for Toronto's tenth run of the game.

The real damage came in the bottom of the eighth. The Leafs sent 14 men to the plate and battered Brantford pitching for 10 runs. Depending on your rooting interest, everything that could go wrong went wrong, or everything that could go right went right. Brantford committed three errors in the inning, and Toronto scored double digits on just four hits. Everybody got something -- even the ballpark's rogue scorekeeper, who won a free oil change in the coffee pot draw.

Andrew Simonetti calmly pitched the final two innings for Toronto to lock down the 20-7 FINAL.

Tamane and Reeves were the batting leaders on the day, combining for nine RBIs. Carrington went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Solazzo, left fielder Justin Marra, and catcher Zac Orchard each drove in a run.

And so, for the first time since 2014, The Toronto Maple Leafs and Brantford Red Sox will not face each other in the opening round of the IBL playoffs. As mentioned above, the Mapes will take on the Monarchists of Guelph with home field advantage for the first round. 


Brantford 7-12-4
Toronto 20-13-5

W - DaSilva (1-0, 1.12)
L - Kauer (0-1, 9.52)


BOXSCORE


The 16-19 Leafs finish the season in 4th place in the IBL standings. Stay tuned for the 2018 Maple Leafs leaderboard and playoff preview.