Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - May 12 to 21, 2024
The Toronto Maple Leafs ushered in a lively and colourful new era at Christie Pits, and the only thing missing was some wins to start the 2024 season.
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| Pitcher Julian Valdez exits the game in the seventh inning on Sunday, May 19, a game the Leafs would lose to the newborn Chatham-Kent Barnstormers. |
A new age of baseball has been launched at Christie Pits.
The good ship Maple Leaf sails into the 2024 Intercounty Baseball League season with a fresh group of skippers at the helm. An ownership collective has taken the wheel from the Dominico estate.
Everything is all au courant this year. No more living in the past. This year, fans at the Pits will notice a livelier scene at the ballpark.
Game day hype, beer sales, kids and costumes, fan participation, merch tents, a VIP zone, and a booming new sound system all augment the traditional baseball experience at the Pits.
There's a lot to take in, and it's all been great so far. But lost in the music has been that one crucial thing in baseball: wins. Despite or because of all the machinations and distractions, the Leafs have opened this season winless in their first four games.
Here is a recap of Week 1 in this new season of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.
Sunday, May 12, 2024 - London Majors at Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Clad in the Maple Leafs' brand-new vintage-60s uniforms, Jeremy Tymochko delivers a pitch during the Season Opener on May 12. PHOTO BY CRAIG AIKIN. |
The brave new world of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball got off on a sour note on Sunday, May 12. The season opener was a close game, but the Leafs ultimately fell short of the visiting London Majors.
It was a back-and-forth affair that held everyone's interest throughout, but the visitors were the skunks at the garden party. London won 6-4.
Wilgenis Alvarado, the Leafs ace, pitched the first three innings of the game and surrendered just one hit while striking out four. Leafs legend Marek Deska took over in the fourth and was touched up for a couple of runs as London took the lead, 2-0.
The Majors extended their lead to 3-0 before the Leafs stormed back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. A two-run double by Jesse Hodges tied the game 3-3.
Back and forth it went. London scored two in the sixth. Toronto scored two in the eighth. With the game tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth, the Majors tagged reliever Chris Nagorski for a couple of runs and made off with the win, spoiling the opening day festivities in at the Pits.
London 7 10 3
Toronto 5 8 4
W - Arias (1-0, 0.00)
L - Nagorski (0-1, 18.00)
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats
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| Toronto's Justice Magee strikes out to end the game in Barrie on Thurday, May 16. |
The Leafs' first road trip of 2024 was another back-and-forth affair, with the hometown Barrie Baycats emerging victorious.
Nine hits and four runs were scattered throughout the Leafs' order, but the Barrie home opener came down to the late innings.
Toronto held a 3-2 lead into the eighth, and that was where the home side struck for three runs off reliever Adam Marra to take the lead.
Frank Garces pitched the final five innings of the game. Despite a late rally by the Leafs, he held off the visitors for a 5-4 final score, sending the denizens of Barrie and surroundings home happy.
Toronto 4 9 0
Barrie 5 7 2
W - Garces (1-0, 3.60)
L - A. Marra (0-1, 11.57)
Saturday, May 18, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Guelph Royals
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| The Guelph Royals celebrate after shutting out the Maple Leafs at home on Saturday, May 18. |
OOF.
The Maple Leafs continued their opening week road trip with a dud in the Royal City. On Saturday, they recorded just two hits in support of starting ace Wilgenis Alvarado and lost their third in a row to start the season.
Alvarado went 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits while striking out three. He ended up getting tagged for the loss despite carrying a 1.17 ERA through the first week of the season. The Leafs lost 4-0. Former Leaf Rhys Montgomery recorded the win for the home side.
Toronto 0 2 1
Guelph 4 8 0
W - Montgomery (1-0, 0.00)
L - Alvarado (0-1, 1.17)
S - Deans (1)
Sunday, May 19, 2024 - Chatham-Kent Barnstormers at Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Johnathan Solazzo comes home after hitting the Maple Leafs' first -- and only -- home run of the season so far. |
OOF AGAIN.
This is probably not the start to the season that the Toronto Maple Leafs' new ownership group envisioned.
A solid veteran core. A wily rotation of veterans. Some exciting newcomers. You'd think this would be the makings for some early season success. Instead, none of the pieces seem to have come together in unison. Instead, the Leafs are off to an 0-4 start to this 2024 season.
The winless Leafs went into their second home game on Sunday and jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to RBIs by first baseman Jordan Castaldo (sac fly) and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo (solo home run).
Jesse Hodges made the start on the mound for Toronto. Hodgy went four innings, giving up just one run while striking out four. What followed after him was messy.
The visiting Chatham-Kent Barnstormers jumped on relievers Julian Valdez for four runs and Dean Christidis for two more to make off with a 6-4 victory and keep the Leafs winless to start the season.
Chatham-Kent 6 7 3
Toronto 4 5 3
W - McKinlay (1-0, 4.50)
L - Christidis (0-1, 5.40)
OOF! The Maple Leafs are off to a less-than-idyllic start to this new era with an 0-4 record. They will aim to turn things around in the coming week, starting with a Wednesday nighter against the winless Kitchener Panthers, followed by a weekend home-and-home series versus the IBL champion Welland Jackfish.
Wednesday, May 22 - Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 pm at Christie Pits
Saturday, May 25 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 1:05 pm at Welland Stadium
Sunday, May 26 - Welland Jackfish vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits
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