Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - August 5 to 12, 2024
Late-inning heroics delivered three wins in a row to the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they clinched a postseason spot during a crucial Week 13.
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| Connor Lewis rounds the bases after hitting a walk off home run at the Pits on Sunday, while the Brantford Red Sox look around stunned. |
It has been a week to remember for Connor Lewis, for the Toronto Maple Leafs and for the rest of us who follow their sensational adventures.
On Wednesday night, Lewis hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning to set the stage for a Leafs walk-off win over the Barrie Baycats.
Following the game, Lewis was interviewed by Leafs broadcaster Thomas West.
"For me personally, I don't ever think about hitting home runs," Lewis said. "I think about hitting the ball hard and getting on base and I know the rest of the guys got me. I get on base there and we can tie the game or win the ball game right there." During his eighth inning at-bat, Lewis watched Barrie's pitcher throw nothing but fastballs and shake off anything else, so he sat back and waited for another. When it came, he sent it over the fence.
Lewis hit two homers this week, helping his team forge a three-game win streak that clinched them a spot in the 2024 IBL postseason. The Leafs centerfielder is not the only one getting hot at the right time. For all their struggles this year, the Leafs are third in the league in runs scored. Their pitching, which has been a weak spot, is coming around. Lewis shared his thoughts:
"I feel especially with the last two weeks with all [the Leafs'] pitchers we stopped going with more scouting reports and just said we're gonna throw it and whatever happens happens."
Whatever happens happens. A wild approach in a game so wedded to stats and strategies, but with this veteran squad it fits.
Toronto's import pitchers have upped their game. Wilgenis Alvarado, Angel Castro and Julian Valdez are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the mound. Sam Greene and Adam Marra have been brilliant of late. Unlike years past, there are plenty of arms in the bullpen to back them up as the Leafs turn to planning their upcoming postseason run.
This was a crucial week for the Leafs, in which they had the opportunity to move clear of the Brantford Red Sox for good and leave them to fight with Kitchener to avoid the league basement.
And now, here is a recap of Week 13 in Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - Barrie Baycats vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Connor Lewis rounds third after hitting a game-tying home run in the eighth inning Wednesday night. |
The final Wednesday Nighter of the regular season was a doozie, heavy on the dooze.
In the end, the game was won by patience instead of power.
Two clubs on the hunt. The visiting Barrie Baycats in pursuit of the IBL pennant, the Toronto Maple Leafs chasing a postseason spot. The classic rivalry renewed before a lively Christie Pits crowd.
On the mound it was Wilgenis Alvarado making the start for the Mapes, against Adam Khan.
Both clubs made a mark early. The Baycats put a run on the board by hitting three singles to start the game. The Leafs responded with three singles to start the bottom of the first and it was a 1-1 game after one.
In the bottom of the third, the Leafs knocked Khan out of the game with a pair of two-run homers off the bats of DH Jordan Castaldo and catcher Justin Marra. The Leafs went ahead 5-1 and Brad Grieveson took over to end the inning.
Alvarado pitched a gem. He held the Baycats to one run until the top of the sixth when Ryan Rijo hit a solo home run to make it 5-2. Alvarado pitched into the seventh and his final line was two runs off seven hits. He struck out thirteen and walked none. This is the Alvarado who wowed the league in 2023.
Julian Valdez took the ball next and the Baycats took him to task. A shaky start by Valdez saw him hit a batter and walk another. With two outs, Barrie singled twice and benefitted from an error at second to tie the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Leafs forged ahead again. Singles by shortstop Jose Vinicio and third baseman Johnathan Solazzo set the table for Marcus Knecht, who hit his fourth home run of the season. The three-run bomb put the Leafs up 8-5.
In the top of the eighth, Barrie battled back. Valdez loaded the bases and Adam Marra was called upon to put out the fire. He surrendered a three-run double and an RBI single before fighting his way out of the inning. The damage was done and it was the Baycats who took a 9-8 lead.
Bottom of the eighth, the Pits were getting restless. Would the Leafs be able to respond? Would their brutal losing streak against Barrie continue? Would someone step up?
Connor Lewis answered all of these questions with one swing of the bat. Facing newly installed pitcher Carlos Sano to lead off the inning, the Leafs centerfielder lit the Pits with a solo home run.
AYYOOO! With everyone going wild around him, Lewis chugged around the bases like he'd done it a thousand times, no pimping, no provocations.
The scorched Sano next faced second baseman Charlie Towers with Vinicio on deck. After fouling off a pitch, Towers stood in, then called for time. Sano fired the ball behind Towers and Vinicio took exception. Sano stalked off the mound yelling and gesturing, and the benches cleared. As the saying goes, "that escalated quickly". There was pushing and shoving between the two sides. Skippers Josh Matlow and Rob Butler were both fired up. Matlow had to be physically dragged away from the centre of things and it took some minutes for the teams to be separated. The umpires held a summit to sort things out, and players from both sides commingled on the infield with plenty of smiles visible on faces. As quickly as tensions had soared, they dropped away just as quickly. Following the summit, the umpires ejected Barrie's Cano and Matlow. Vinicio was also out of the game along with first baseman Mike Cecchetto.
Ryan Lacasse took over on the mound and struck out three batters in a row to end the inning, but the game was now tied 9-9.
In the top of the ninth, Adam Marra retired the side.
Things had calmed down between the players on the field, but feelings around the ballpark were intense. A playoff atmosphere seized the Pits.
In the bottom of the ninth, Lacasse lost the handle and got into a jam. He gave up a walk to Solazzo and a double to Knecht. An intentional walk loaded the bases. Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos hit a ball to the first baseman, who threw home to get Solazzo out. Pinch hitter Cole Murchison came up next and put on a demonstration of patience over power. Resisting the temptation to hit one out of the park for glory and big bucks, he stood at the plate and took three balls in a row. Lacasse's fourth pitch found the strike zone but Murchison's bat remained on his shoulder. Lacasse's next pitch would be his final one. Ball four, Leafs score. Game over.
It was a 10-9 FINAL and all the tension left the park borne on a multitude of whoops and hollers. Murchison trotted to first, turned around and was greeted as one of the heroes of the night by his teammates halfway back along the first base line. Alvarado was named player of the game for his return-to-form performance. Adam Marra got the win and Lacasse took the L. Everybody could breathe again.
Following the game, the league issued the following suspensions stemming from the eighth inning fracas:
Toronto - Jose Vinicio 1 game, Mike Cecchetto 1 game, Rob Butler 3 games
Barrie - Carlos Sano 1 game, Hayden Jaco 1 game, Josh Matlow 6 games
Barrie 9 11 0
Toronto 10 12 2
W - A. Marra (2-1, 3.24)
L - Lacasse (0-2, 5.21)
Friday, August 9, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox
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| Friday night in Brantford, a game-ending double play won it for the Leafs and brought them to the doorstep of postseason qualification. (image: Brantford Red Sox YouTube) |
Still high from walk-off Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs rode a wave of momentum into the Telephone City.
The Brantford Red Sox, desperate to save their season, faced the Leafs at Arnold Anderson Stadium for the first half of a home-and-home series.
In the top of the first, the Leafs opened the scoring thanks to a sac fly by right fielder Marcus Knecht that allowed shortstop Jose Vinicio to score.
In the bottom of the first, the Red Sox took advantage of a sloppy start by hurler Landon Leach. Three walks, two stolen bases and a hit batsman brought in one run, and a fielder's choice scored another as Brantford took a 2-1 lead after one inning.
Top of the second, catcher Lauchlan Maude ripped a triple and scored on an RBI single by third baseman Charlie Towers. That tied the score 2-2.
Bottom of the second, Brantford edged ahead. Leach loaded the bases with a walk, hit batsman and single. The next batter he faced singled in a run and brought Leach's night to a close. Sam Greene took over on the mound and ended the inning with no further damage but the Sox were back in the lead, 3-2.
Brantford added a run in the fourth to make it 4-2. On the mound for the Carmines was Ricardo Alvarez Delugo, winless on the season but pitching a solid game. Through six innings he held the Leafs to two runs off six hits while striking out seven and walking three.
How many times has this happened in baseball? As soon as the starter was relieved, the opposing bats came to life. In the top of the seventh, Delugo made way for Damian Clarke. He gave up base hits to the first two batters he faced. Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos cashed them both in with a double to tie the game. Clarke got a quick hook for Norman Coleman-Goodwin. A sac fly by first baseman Mike Cecchetto scored Dos Santos and the Leafs went ahead 5-4 midway through seven.
Chris Nagorski relieved Greene and pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh.
In the top of the eighth, the Torontonians grabbed the game by the horns. Aidan Armitage was the new pitcher on the mound. He walked Maude and gave up a single to Vinicio. DH Jordan Castaldo then smacked a two-run double to make it 7-4. Armitage threw two wild pitches that let Castaldo take third and home and it was 8-4 midway through eight.
In the bottom of the eighth, Nagorski surrendered a walk and two singles that produced a run for the home side. Julian Valdez finished the inning and the Leafs held on to an 8-5 lead.
Bottom of the ninth, last chance for the Brantfords. They worked three walks and a double off Valdez to come within one run of tying the game. Adam Marra was called in to stop the blaze and he did. He got one batter fo fly out and induced a game-ending double play to nail down an 8-7 FINAL for the Leafs. Greene pitched five beastly innings for the win, giving up one run off four hits while striking out six and walking one. Marra got his first save of the season while Clarke took the loss.
Toronto 8 13 0
Brantford 7 10 2
W - Greene (3-2, 5.43)
L - Clarke (0-2, 9.31)
S - A. Marra (1)
Sunday, August 11, 2024 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Adam Marra won two games in relief and saved another this week. |
Make it two walk-offs in one week.
Needing to win just one of their final four regular season games to qualify for the postseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs got it done in one.
The second leg of their home-and-home series against the Brantford Red Sox was played under skies that went from grey to white to blue, and the cycle repeated throughout the afternoon. The threat of rain made for a smaller than usual crowd at Christie Pits as things got under way.
Angel Castro started on the mound for the Mapes, and he pitched with purpose. Through the first five innings, he struck out eight but gave up a couple of runs. Halfway through a fast-moving game, the visitors held a 2-0 lead.
Toronto bats were stymied over this period. Facing starter Gregor Farquharson, they managed just two hits over five innings. It was looking like the Red Sox were more keen to stave off elimination this day.
In the sixth inning, the Red Sox scored another run, while the Leafs responded with another measly single. 3-0 Brantford through six.
In between innings, listless fans were roused by some now-familiar between-innings entertainment. Kids got to run the bases, the Leafs mascot performed a high-energy dance number, and Mr. Freeze lost his eighth sprint race of the season.
Once again, a pitching change altered the trajectory of the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning, good ol' Aiden Armitage returned to the mound and the Leafs got to work. Third baseman Ryan Dos Santos worked a walk and catcher Justin Marra moved him to third with a single. A double by right fielder Marcus Knecht brought Dos Santos home and it was a 3-1 ballgame through seven.
In the eighth inning, Brantford threatened to blow the game open. Julian Valdez relieved Castro to start the inning, and the troubles began. The leadoff batter reached first on an error, the second batter singled and the third one was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and Castro barking words of encouragement from the bench, Valdez hunkered down. One swinging strikeout, then another, then a third. Valdez completed the great escape and the crowd sensed a potential shift in momentum.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Leafs hit a pair of singles off reliever Josh Laukkanen, but the runners were unable to score. It was on to the ninth and Brantford looked to lock down the win.
After Adam Marra pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, the Leafs took their final goes at the plate. DH Jordan Castaldo worked a 2-2 count, then fouled off four pitches before flying out to center. Catcher Justin Marra was up next, and he hit a grounder to first that Nick Burdett was unable to field cleanly. Marra was safe aboard on the error. Knecht followed with a hard shot to second that was too hot for the Red Sox to handle. Another error put him on first with Marra moving to second. That brought Connor Lewis to the plate. The Leafs centerfielder took a ball and fouled off two pitches before Laukkanen made a fatal mistake. For the next pitch, the catcher set up high outside, but Laukkanen's delivery was inside. Lewis swung and connected. The ball soared to the left field corner and cleared the fence.
AYYOOO! Game over, Leafs win a 4-3 walk off.
The small crowd made a sound of 50,000. An explosion of noise, with arms punching the sky, high fives and screams of joy. All of it rained down on the stunned Red Sox fielders who looked around in vain for a foul ball call. Lewis circled the bases with his head down until rounding third, then he flipped off his helmet and dove into the mass of giddy teammates awaiting at home. Water splashed him, hands seized him, his jersey was removed. When he came up for air, another round of jostling and hugs followed.
In the space of three games, Lewis hit two of Toronto's biggest home runs of the season. The win put the Leafs out of reach of Brantford in the standings.
For his effort, Adam Marra got the win, with Laukkanen the unfortunate loser, and the Red Sox's only hope left is to overtake Kitchener for the final postseason spot.
Brantford 3 8 3
Toronto 4 8 2
W - A. Marra (3-1, 2.89)
L - Laukkanen (2-5, 4.52)
One week remains in this 2024 IBL regular season and the Leafs have assured themselves a spot in the playoffs. They currently occupy 7th place in the standings, 13 games behind the pennant winners from Welland. All that remains now is to sort out who they will face in the first round.
The week ahead:
Thursday, August 15 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers, 7:30 PM at Jack Couch Park
Saturday, August 17 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 6:05 PM at Welland Stadium
Sunday August 18 - Chatham-Kent Barnstormers vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 PM at Christie Pits (Regular Season Finale)
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