Bringer of Trains, Bringer of Pain

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - July 18 to 24, 2022

Week 10 saw the Leafs win two in a row thanks to some monster performances at the plate.

Johnathan Solazzo sends a power point to the Christie hillsides after hitting a sixth inning grand slam on Sunday, his second homer of the game.

Week 10 was a light one for the Toronto Maple Leafs with only two games on the schedule.

Friday night in Hamilton, they overcame some early adversity and sent the struggling Cardinals to their tenth straight defeat.

Sunday was another steamy Christie Pits classic.  It started with Angel Castro on the mound.

"We needed a horse, so we're bringing in the horse."  Those were skipper Damon Topolie's words back in June when the Maple Leafs signed the Dominican pitcher.

Since then, the horse has been run out a few times, getting better each time around.

Sunday saw Castro's best performance yet.  He held the Guelph Royals to three runs, and he also demonstrated his talent as a different kind of two-way player.  Whenever the Leafs were at the plate, Castro hollered a steady stream of encouragement to his teammates.  Whether in Spanish or English or some combination of both, he was LOUD and got under some of the visitors' skins.  On the mound and on the bench, the noisy horse won the day.

Meanwhile, Johnathan Solazzo is winning the month.  After a slow start to the season, the most famous employee in the history of CN Rail has been on a rampage.  In the month of July, he raised his batting average 77 points to .343 while racking up 19 hits, 13 runs, 5 home runs, 18 RBIs and 10 walks.  The bringer of trains has been a bringer of pain for IBL pitchers.

Justin Marra is right there with him.  The Leaf catcher's July has been almost a carbon copy: 18 hits, 18 runs, 5 home runs, 18 RBIs and 9 walks.

Together, Solazzo and Marra terrorized their opponents all weekend, hitting 6 home runs and 10 RBIs in two games.

The Leafs overtook Barrie in the standings and climbed closer to third place.  As the final month of the season approaches, the team keeps getting stronger.

Friday, July 8, 2022 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals

Justin Marra is greeted by Jordan Castaldo after he bombed the soccer field beyond Bernie Arbour Stadium on Friday night. (image: IBLCardinalsBaseball YouTube)

Rough start, great finish.  

Friday night at Bernie Arbour Stadium, the Maple Leafs faced multiple deficits after just one inning of play.

Road warrior Marek Deska started on the mound for the Leafs, but he faced only two batters before leaving the game.  He gave up a leadoff single to Tristan Osika, then got hit on the hand by a line drive off the bat of Luis Jean.  Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo grabbed the ricochet and fired to first, where Jean collided with Jordan Castaldo.  Three players injured on one play.  Deska left the game immediately, replaced on the mound by Dylan Jacober.  Jean remained on the bases long enough to come around to score the second run of the inning for Hamilton.  He left the game at the end of the inning.  Castaldo hung around three more innings before he too left the game.

In the top of the 2nd, second baseman Dan Marra and left fielder Grant Tamane both singled, and Marra came around to score on a fielder's choice by Jose Vinicio.  It was 2-1 Hamilton after two.

The Leafs took the lead in the top of the 3rd.  Castaldo singled, Solazzo doubled, and DH Aidan McAskie singled to drive them both in.  A single by centerfielder Connor Lewis moved McAskie to third, and another single by Dan Marra plated him.  4-2 Leafs through three.

With Jacober dealing on the mound, the Leafs put the game out of reach thanks to solo home runs by catcher Justin Marra and Solazzo. That made it 6-2 Leafs and they never looked back.

Jacober surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the 4th, but he pitched four solid innings and struck out seven en route to the win.  Relievers Zach Sloan, Ryan Wells and Franklin Hernandez combined for four shutout innings and Chris Nagorski locked the birdcage again for his third save of the season.

Vinicio drove in one more run for the Leafs in the 7th, as they won a 7-4 FINAL and the Cards crashed to their tenth straight defeat.

Mad props to Cable 14 Hamilton for providing fantastic camera work for the Cardinals' YouTube broadcast.  Whatever happened to Cable 14 in Toronto?  Team up some on-field camera operators with the Leafs broadcast team and it would make for unstoppable viewing.

Toronto 7 15 2

Hamilton 4 10 3

W - Jacober (3-0, 5.51)

L - Salcedo (1-3, 12.76)

S - Nagorski (3)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, July 24, 2022 - Guelph Royals at Toronto Maple Leafs

Angel Castro had his best outing yet on Sunday, going seven strong on the mound, and nine strong on the bench.

Sunday at Christie Pits, a daylong threat of rain held off and a not huge crowd gathered around the hillsides.  The Leafs burst right out of the gate and overwhelmed the visiting Guelph Royals.

Starter Angel Castro retired the side to start the game.  Royals starter Ben Braun did not fare as well.  Catcher Justin Marra and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo both tagged him for solo home runs.  First baseman Aidan McAskie singled, centerfielder Connor Lewis doubled, and McAskie scored on a groundout by second baseman Dan Marra.  After one inning, the Leafs were ahead 3-0.

The Leafs kept the pressure on in the 2nd inning.  DH Luca Boscarino drew a leadoff walk, then came all the way around to score on a double by right fielder Gregory Carrington.  The ball was played for an error by the Guelph infield and Carrington wound up at third.  A sac fly by shortstop Jose Vinicio brought him in and the Leafs led 5-0.  

Braun's day did not last much longer.  He was relieved in the third by Emilis Guerrero in the bottom of the third.  

Castro gave up two earned runs in the 4th and another in the 5th, letting the Royals draw within two runs.  The score was 5-3 through five.

Guerrero kept the Leafs off the board until the bottom of the 6th.  He gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases, setting the stage for Solazzo to crush a grand slam, his fifth RBI of the game and third home run of the weekend.  9-3 Leafs after six.

Castro, who had been cheering his teammates on during the bottom of every inning, was done after seven innings during which he gave up three runs off six hits with three K's.  Franklin Hernandez pitched the top of the 8th and gave up a pair of runs to make it a 9-5 ballgame.

In the bottom of the 8th, the Leafs put the game away for good with a seven-run explosion at the expense of relievers Evan Kiser and Ben Reid.  Firestarter Jose Vinicio reached first on an error, then promptly stole second and third, giving him four stolen bases on the day.  Justin Marra followed with a two-run homer -- his third of the weekend -- and the rout was on.  The Leafs got six hits in the inning, the Royals committed two errors and hit a batter, and when the dust settled it was a 16-5 blowout.

Chris Nagorski gave up a garbage time grand slam in the 9th but put the Royals away with a 16-9 FINAL and a win for Damon Topolie's noisy horse, Angel Castro.

After the game there were some warm scenes as fans around the park expressed their love and appreciation for future first ballot Hall of Famer Sean Reilly, whose Royals were making their final regular season appearance of the year.  

Rumours have been rumoured that this will be ex-Leaf Reilly's final season, so I put the question to him directly.

"It's looking that way," Reilly said.  What he left unsaid was what many IBL followers know, and that's just how hard it is to let go for good.  

The IBL life is not easy to walk away from.  Countless players have announced their retirement only to join a new club or return to play after a brief absence.  Reilly may be going for now, but he would certainly be welcomed back for another season or more.

Guelph 9 13 4

Toronto 16 16 0

W - Castro (2-2, 6.67)

L - Braun (1-4, 7.31)

BOXSCORE

The Leafs' 18-12 record gives them sole possession of 4th place in the IBL standings, 4 1/2 games behind the Welland Jackfish.

The week ahead:

Wednesday, July 27 - Barrie Baycats vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 pm at Christie Pits

Saturday, July 30 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 6:05 pm at Welland Pond

Sunday, July 31 - Welland Jackfish vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits

Hit Machine

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - July 11 to 17, 2022

The Leafs were cranking them out all week long during a 4-game win streak.

Justin Marra cannot be stopped from driving in runs.  Look upon his stats, ye IBL, and despair.

Who among these hitmakers does not play at Rogers Centre?

a) The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club

b) The Weeknd

c) neither

The answer is neither but I daresay the Leafs are the bigger of the two at the moment.  From classic boppers to fresh bangers, fans love them all.  

In the past week the Leafs recorded 42 hits, something no musician can claim.

Wednesday night, they lit up the Christie amphitheatre with a raging 16-hit show and crushed the Barrie Baycats.

Friday night, they hit the road and topped themselves with a 17-hit encore.

Sunday, they clubbed another 9 hits but the 4-game winning fun ride came to an end at the hands of the London Majors.

Still tho, this club is rocking up the charts all the way to number one.

Wednesday, July 13, 2022 - Barrie Baycats at Toronto Maple Leafs

There was a whole lotta love being felt on Wednesday night as the Leafs destroyed the visiting Barrie Baycats.

"This lead is safe."

The startling declaration came from the Maple Leafs' rogue scorekeeper.  He and I were standing beside the third base fence at Christie Pits watching the late innings of a demolition job by the home side.

Rogue scorekeeper has been watching Leafs baseball for decades, sometimes keeping score in a notebook, sometimes not.  His encyclopedic memory and instant recall of past games, plays and incidents give assurance that when the decision desk of his mind makes a projection, it's a good one.

It might have been tempting to make a projection after just one inning of this Wednesday nighter against the Barrie Baycats.

Angel Castro retired the side for the Leafs to start the game.

Baycats starter Henrry Civil didn't make it out of the first inning.  Hell, he didn't record a single out.  There's "effectively wild" and then there's "wildly ineffective" and he was the latter.  He walked five Mapes, giving up two hits and two stolen bags as well as a wild pitch.  The Leafs churned around the bases and scored four runs before Civil was relieved by Evan Soules.  The nightmare continued for Barrie.  A single and a sac fly put two more runs on the board, and then catcher Justin Marra smashed a three-run bomb.  With a monster first inning, the Leafs took a 9-0 lead.

Barrie scored a couple of runs in the top of the 3rd to make it 9-2.

The Leafs piled it on, scoring runs in every inning from the 3rd to the 7th.  Justin Marra led the way with four hits, two walks and five RBIs on the night.  

As the massacre unfolded, Baycats fielders were run ragged chasing missiles off Leafs bats.

Conversely, it was a quiet night for the Leafs' outfield of Aidan McAskie (left), Gregory Carrington (center) and Luca Boscarino (right).  After the game, I asked them where their minds went during a blowout and if there's a trick to stay focussed when there's not much being hit their way. 

"It's important to try and focus on doing your job even when it's a blowout," said McAskie.

"Honestly, there's still a game to play, still 27 outs to be made," said Carrington.  "It's important to show [our pitchers] you have their back on defence no matter the score."

"You gotta help your pitcher out in whatever way you can, to save him pitches and stressful innings." McAskie added.

Last word to Boscarino:

"Sometimes it gets tough when there's not much coming to the outfield, but when you're really dialed into the game and 100 percent in, pitch by pitch it makes the game go by quicker.  There's no tricks but to just keep moving on to the next pitch and next at bat, whether it's offence or defence, and just trying to get better every pitch and be ready for anything."

Music to a manager's ears.  Skipper Damon Topolie can rest assured that his boys are not out there staring at cloud formations or admiring their arm veins.  They are Locked In To Win.

The game ended with a 20-4 FINAL score.  Castro got his first IBL win and Zach Sloan pitched the final three innings for the save.  

Barrie 4 11 0

Toronto 20 16 1

W - Castro (1-2, 7.54)

L - Civil (0-1, 21.21)

S - Sloan (1)

BOXSCORE

Pix from the Wednesday nighter.

Friday, July 15, 2022 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox

The Leafs celebrate another victory in Brantford on Friday night.  (Image: Brantford Red Sox YouTube)

The hits just keep on coming.

Friday night at the Big AA in Brantford, the Leafs pounded out 17 more en route to an 11-5 win over the last-place Red Sox.

Right fielder Gregory Carrington collected four hits including two sizzling triples.

Seven of the Leafs' runs came off the bats of catcher Justin Marra (4 RBIs) and first baseman Jordan Castaldo (3 RBIs).  Second baseman Dan Marra drove in a pair, and shortstop Jose Vinicio and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo each drove in one.

Marra and Castaldo have been on a tear this month and they lead the Leafs in hitting.  Marra is tied for 3rd in the IBL for RBIs, while pitchers continue to respect (read: fear) Castaldo, making him the most-walked batter in the league by a long mile.

Marek Deska pitched the first four innings and handed a 6-3 lead to reliever Dylan Jacober.  

The Red Sox snuck up and made it a 6-5 game after six innings, but the Leafs pulled away for good in the 7th when they scored five more runs.

Ryan Wells pitched a perfect 9th to seal the 11-5 FINAL for Toronto.

Toronto 11 17 2

Brantford 5 10 0

W - Jacober (2-0, 6.00)

L - Larner (1-3, 5.72)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, July 17, 2022 - London Majors at Toronto Maple Leafs

Lotta this going on at the Pits on Sunday, as the London Majors blasted their way to a win.  (file photo)

The Leafs' mid-July 4-game win streak came to an end on Sunday at Christie Pits.

On paper, it looks like the game against the visiting London Majors was a combination home run derby and demolition derby.

The Majors hit five homers including a pair by Austin Wilkie as the Leafs fell 14-8.

Wilkie hit Franklin Hernandez's first pitch of the game for a homer and it was all downhill from there.  He returned to the plate during a 2nd inning that was utterly grotesque.  The Leafs defence fell apart, committing four errors to set the stage for a 7-run explosion that included a grand slam by Wilkie.

All told, the Leafs committed five errors on the day, a performance that must have had manager Damon Topolie hurling wine bottles against the clubhouse walls afterwards.

One of the few bright spots in the game was an 8th inning grand slam hit by rookie of the year contender Aidan McAskie.  That made the score a slightly more respectable 14-8, but that was the FINAL as Hernandez took his first IBL loss.

London 14 9 3

Toronto 8 9 5

W - Arias (7-0, 1.29)

L - Hernandez (1-1, 2.57)

BOXSCORE

The 16-12 Leafs are tied for 4th in the IBL standings with the Barrie Baycats, 5 1/2 games behind the Welland Jackfish.

The week ahead:

Friday, July 22 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals, 7:35 pm at Bernie Arbour Stadium

Sunday, July 24 - Guelph Royals vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits