Leafs Drop Decider, Season Ends

IBL Quarterfinals - Game 5 - August 27, 2025

Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats

Barrie 5 - Toronto 4

Barrie wins the series 3-2

Luca Boscarino scores on a sac fly by Dennis Dei Baning, a run that put the Leafs on the verge of advancing. (image: Barrie Baycats TV/YouTube)

The quarterfinal series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Barrie Baycats came down to a deciding Game 5.

As the lowest-remaining seeds in the tournament, the boys in blue went to Athletic Kulture Stadium with nothing to lose.  They arrived with swaying hips and jaunty buttocks, the numbers on their backs cracked and peeling.  They looked like a gang that had been through some shit together but remained tight and unfazed.  

Like any good rivalry, the series had been a back and forth.  Little gains, little losses.  Last night's decider summarized the series in a single game.

The defending IBL Champions took an early lead, Toronto overtook them with a spirited comeback, the Baycats were on the ropes but at the very end they emerged the winners.

Barrie walked it off for a 5-4 victory and 3-2 series win.

The pressure was on the hosts not to choke away their title defence in front of their fans.

The Leafs came out swinging against starter Juan Benitez, but he recorded two strikeouts and a groundout.

The Baycats also came out swinging and did some early damage.  They touched starter Franklin Hernandez for three singles along with three stolen bases to take a 2-0 lead.

Benitez and Hernandez then traded scoreless innings until the top of the sixth.  First baseman Jordan Castaldo, right fielder Marcus Knecht and catcher Justin Marra each singled to load the bases.  Left fielder Luca Boscarino hit into a fielder's choice and Marra was out on the play, but an error by the shortstop allowed two runs to come in.  Boscarino ended up on second base.  A balk moved him to third, and he scored on a sac fly by centerfielder Dennis Dei Baning.  The rally put the Leafs ahead 3-2 and ended Benitez's night.

In the bottom of the sixth, a two-run homer by Adam Odd put the Baycats back ahead 4-3.

The see-saw battle continued in the top of the seventh.  Second baseman Dan Marra drew a leadoff walk off reliever Ramon Henriquez.  He moved to second on a sac bunt by third baseman Ryan Dos Santos, and scored on a single by Castaldo.  That tied the game 4-4 through seven.

Luis Florentino took over on the mound in the seventh inning and kept the Baycats off the board through the eighth.

The game was a reflection of the Leafs' 2025 season.  Solid starting pitching kept them in the game, the Leafs scratched out runs any which way and it looked like they might win, but the bullpen couldn't hold on.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the ninth.  Greg Carrington took the ball for Toronto, and the Baycats turned it on.  Two singles put runners on the corners.  A passed ball put both runners in scoring position.  Manager Rob Butler decided to walk the bases loaded and hope for some Maple Leaf magic.  Instead, Nolan Machibroda hit a long single to the outfield.  The runner on third scampered home with the game-winning, series-ending run and the Baycats commenced their celebrations.

Carrington got the L but it was a team loss.  Castaldo (2), Knecht (2) and Justin Marra (1) got the only Leaf hits in the game.  

Other than one blowout at Christie Pits, the high-scoring Leafs struggled to put runs on the board in this quarterfinal.  Justin Marra was the only man to hit .300 or better in the series, and his string of three home runs in three games was electrifying.  DH Jhon Javier led the team with 5 RBIs over five games.  

Congratulations to the Barrie Baycats.  The Playoff Leafs reappeared on the scene to wreak havoc and they pushed the champs to the brink of elimination, but fell short.  

The 2025 season is over.

Toronto 4 5 0

Barrie 5 10 4

W - Sano (1-1, 2.07)

L - Carrington (0-1, 13.50)

BOXSCORE

It's Going the Distance

IBL Quarterfinals - Game 4 - August 26, 2025

Barrie Baycats at Toronto Maple Leafs

Barrie 6 - Toronto 3

Series tied 2-2

Marcus Knecht glides through the Christie Pits home-run-wall-of-smoke after hitting a two-run bomb last night.

Facing elimination from the 2025 IBL postseason, the Barrie Baycats had little choice but the nuclear option.

Frank Garces.

The 35-year-old former San Diego Padre has been the Baycats' weapon of choice on the mound many times going back to 2018.  Since his debut season, the Dominican's postseason record is 9-1 and he has two IBL championship rings on his fingers.

Last night at Christie Pits, Garces took the bump to try and lock down a season-saving win.  He was up against the Toronto Maple Leafs' Wilgenis Alvarado.  The 25-year-old Venezuelan owns a more modest 2-2 postseason record, but has shown up for the big games and this would be one of them.

The Leafs had a chance to oust the defending IBL champs before a home crowd that was rainsoaked but ferocious.

The starting pitchers traded a couple of scoreless innings before Barrie struck first.

In the top of the third, Alvarado gave up a single and walk, hit a batter to walk the bases, then hit another batter to bring in a run.

In the bottom of the fourth, the game was tied 1-1 after catcher Justin Marra hit his third home run of the series.

The Baycats reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth with three hits that brought in a pair of runs.  It was 3-1 for Barrie through five innings.

In the top of the sixth, the Baycats extended their lead to 5-1.  Alvarado was relieved by Marek Deska.  The longtime Leaf hurler got out of the inning, but with Garces still on the mound Leaf bats were in tough.

All night long, a kind of latent energy had been accumulating at the Pits.  This energy transformed into an explosion of noise and vibrations when right fielder Marcus Knecht took Garces deep in the bottom of the eighth.  Knecht's shot made it a 5-3 ballgame and put the Baycats' starter on his heels, but he escaped without further damage.

Deska ended up pitching 2.2 innings, giving up two hits and a run while striking out four.  Greg Carrington recorded the final two outs of the ninth inning for Toronto before Leaf bats had a final shot at victory.

It was not meant to be.  Carlos Sano, loser of Game 3, bounced back and pitched a scoreless ninth inning, surrendering just one walk before closing out the 6-3 FINAL for Barrie.  He earned the save for Garces' win while Alvarado took the loss.

Garces did what the Baycats needed him to do.  Apart from the homers by Justin Marra and Knecht, the only other Leaf batters to record a hit last night were left fielder Luca Boscarino and second baseman Dan Marra.  

Barrie 6 9 1

Toronto 3 4 1

W - Garces (1-0, 2.25)

L - Alvarado (0-1, 4.62)

S - Sano (1)

BOXSCORE

This back-and-forth quarterfinal series will be decided later tonight.  Game 5 goes at Athletic Kulture Stadium and first pitch is at 7:35 pm.

From the Annex Gleaner: From Toyko to Toronto, Sato's Season of Surprises

A sit-down with baseball sensation Ayami Sato

A sensation from day one, Ayami Sato is routinely sought out for autographs and photos whenever the Leafs play.  (photo by Craig Aikin)

It’s a Friday night in July, an hour before gametime at Christie Pits.

Ayami Sato seeks out a shady spot on a bench beside a tree.  Speaking through interpreter Yoko Van Veen, she says the heatwave doesn’t bother her, that it’s even more humid in Japan.  She only wants to get out of the sunlight while we talk.

Sato has just finished helping her Toronto Maple Leafs teammates at batting practice.  As a pitcher, her duty was to retrieve baseballs.  As one of the most accomplished female baseball players in the world, the task might have seemed beneath her, but it was not. 

Last winter, the Leafs made international headlines when they signed Sato, who helped her native country win five women’s world baseball championships.  This spring she became not only the first woman to play for Toronto, but the first in Canadian pro baseball history.

A year ago, she never imagined she’d be sitting on this bench, not far from the kids’ splash pad.

“This is a very casual place to play baseball,” she says.  “Everybody can just drop by and watch.  I feel the players and fans are very close and they can interact easily.”

Sato was an opening day sensation.  Her presence attracted thousands of spectators.  She started the game and pitched two perfect innings.

“Every moment here has been precious for me, but when I stood on the mound and made my first pitch, that was the most memorable moment,” she says.

Since opening day, Sato has settled into the bullpen.  Like most ballplayers, she’s had her ups and downs over the course of the season.

After some games, Sato has posted long messages on social media, analysing her performance on the mound, being self-critical when necessary, and always looking forward to the next game determined to succeed.  Not a common practice among North American athletes, it’s another thing that has made her stand out from her peers.

She routinely praises her teammates online, and says she enjoys the collegial atmosphere of the Leafs’ clubhouse, a place filled with postgame music, pizza and beers – three things that break down barriers in most places.  

She appreciates the diversity of Toronto, and the Leafs’ roster reflects that diversity.  Being the only Japanese is not as isolating when her teammates here are Canadian, American, Dominican, Venezuelan and Korean.

“Playing with those guys, it’s very inspiring,” she says.  She admits it was a huge leap from living near Tokyo and playing for a women’s team to competing against men in a foreign country. “But I just jumped into the environment and tried to do my best to adjust.”

Prior to making the move to Toronto, Sato received messages of support from former Toronto Blue Jays Munenori Kawasaki and Yusei Kikuchi, who encouraged her to enjoy her journey.

The support of her countrymen followed her to Canada.  Sato says she can pick out voices shouting in Japanese when she is on the mound.

“I hear a lot of supporting voices and I know they are out there and I’m happy to receive that support,” she says.

In between game days, Sato has spent time visiting girls’ baseball teams, coaching and speaking to younger players.  She has also taken the opportunity to play tourist, visiting Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, Centre Island and Kensington Market.

She is impressed by Toronto’s Japanese food scene, praising Ikkousha Ramen and Taro’s Fish in particular.  She is also amused by the creativity of Canadian sushi restaurants.  She breaks into a wide smile as she describes how one place put cream cheese on top of salmon, something she’d never seen before.

As for Toronto’s greater food scene: “There are so many temptations when it comes to sweets.  I like fried chicken and French fries and I’d love to try [more] but since I have to perform, I restrict myself.”

She lives close to Christie Pits and has travelled around the city on all modes of transport.  Asked to compare Toronto’s subway system to that of Tokyo, she goes politely silent.  

“It’s small,” she concedes, “but I can access anywhere easily so I think it’s very convenient.  I use it a lot.”

Some of Sato’s teammates begin to emerge from the clubhouse in uniform.  First pitch is approaching.

Since arriving in April, Sato has loved her time in Toronto.  However, she will return to Japan in September and rejoin her Saitama Seibu Lions women’s team for a big competition in October.  

Looking ahead, she has her eyes on the nascent Women’s Pro Baseball League, which will be the first of its kind in North America in over 70 years when it begins play in 2026.

For now, the present beckons.  It’s time to suit up for this evening’s game.  The Maple Leafs are hosting the Guelph Royals as they battle for playoff contention.

Sato is fully committed to doing her part to help the Leafs succeed.  Modest to a fault, she doesn’t dwell on her place in Toronto sports history.  Having achieved that by spending the summer here, her focus is on the collective goal.

“We play as a team, so every player has to do their best in their positions,” she says.  “That’s the beauty of baseball.  I have to play my role and focus on what I have to do.  I’ve started to figure it out, and by the end of the season I hope I can say I did my best and it was a great season.”

[This story was originally published in the August 2025 edition of the Annex Gleaner.]

Justin Time

IBL Quarterfinals - Game 3 - August 24, 2025

Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats

Toronto 3 - Barrie 2

Toronto leads series 2-1

Power Surge: Justin Marra's second home run of the series was a game-winner.

The CNE Air Show is not for another week, but yesterday the Toronto Maple Leafs put on one of their own up north.

The Leafs sent three solo home runs soaring into the Group of Seven skies above Barrie and won Game 3 of their quarterfinal series against the Baycats 3-2.

It was a day of tension and redemption.  The Leafs held a slender lead for most of the game until the Baycats tied it late.  Luis Florentino and Justin Marra, whose ninth inning mishaps led to defeat in Game 1, came back to be two of this game's biggest heroes.

After a blowout Game 2 win at Christie Pits, the Leafs picked up where they left off.  Third baseman Ryan Dos Santos led off the game with a home run off starter Cesar Rosado.

Josh Berenbaum took the mound for the Leafs already enjoying a lead.  The B.C. native pitched as if that might be the only run of the game and gave up no hits until Brandon Hernandez singled for Barrie in the fourth inning.

By then, the Leafs had taken a 2-0 lead following a solo home run by right fielder Marcus Knecht in the top of the fourth.

Berenbaum pitched like a beast.  He took a shutout into the sixth inning before the Baycats got to him.  Three singles in a row put two runs on the board and the game was tied 2-2 through six.

Entering the seventh inning, jaws around the ballpark began to clench.  Every game is important, but this one was critical to both sides.  The winner would be a game away from advancing to the semifinals while the loser would be behind the eight ball the rest of the way.

Berenbaum returned to the mound.  Barrie's leadoff batter grounded out to Jordan Castaldo at first base.  The next man up hit a single.  Manager Rob Butler made the call to the bullpen and Luis Florentino trotted out.  Berenbaum's final line was 6.1 innings pitched, two runs allowed on seven hits.  He walked none and struck out eight.  With the game now in his hands, the Dominican giant recorded two swinging strikeouts to end the threat and it was on to the eighth.

Reliever Carlos Sano got two quick outs to start the inning.  That brought Justin Marra to the plate.  The Leafs' catcher stood in and watched Sano throw a couple of balls.  Measure twice, cut once.  Marra blasted the next pitch high and deep and gone.  The Leafs went ahead 3-2.  On the YouTube broadcast, the large contingent of travelling Leafs fans can be heard going wild.

If Marra's Game 2 homer electrified the Pits, this one electrocuted Athletic Kulture Stadium as Baycat fans fell silent.

Florentino retired the side in the eighth inning and the home nine were down to their final three outs.  The tension had the entire ballpark rocking, bouncing, anything but sitting still.

Bottom of the ninth.  Florentino was back to close it out and he struck out the first man up.  The next batter, Andrew Johnston, hit a grounder along the first base line.  As he sprinted to first, he stepped outside the basepath and was called out.  Barrie partisans erupted in dispute.  Manager Josh Matlow argued vehemently, got tossed, and argued some more but to no avail.  The next man up struck out swinging to end the game.

The Leafs took the 3-2 FINAL and a 2-1 series lead.  Florentino with the win, Sano with the loss. 

Florentino and Marra embraced on the infield, having banished the demons of Game 1.  For both men it was a moment of fantastic redemption.

Toronto 3 8 1

Barrie 2 7 0

W - Florentino (1-1, 2.07)

L - Sano (0-1, 3.85)

BOXSCORE

This quarterfinal series rumbles on and returns to Christie Pits for Game 4 on Tuesday night.  Game time is 7:30 pm.

Leafs Romp at the Pits

IBL Quarterfinals - Game 2 - August 22, 2025

Barrie Baycats at Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto 11 - Barrie 3

Series is tied 1-1

A Justin Marra home run, one of the most electrifying moments in all of the IBL.

After an excruciating loss in the series opener, the Toronto Maple Leafs responded with a good ole Christie Pits romp to take Game 2 of their quarterfinal series against the Barrie Baycats.

The return of postseason baseball brought a buzz to the Pits.  Both clubs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard.

Toronto starter Franklin Hernandez gave up a double and single in the first inning and Barrie went ahead 1-0.

In the bottom of the inning, Barrie starter Juan Benitez gave up a walk and a single.  First baseman Jordan Castaldo grounded into a double play but it cashed in a run.  1-1 ballgame through one.

Two things emerged as constants during this game.  The first was that third baseman Ryan Dos Santos was a regular presence on the basepaths (he would score four runs).  The second was that the Baycats hurt themselves with errors (they racked up four of them).  With two out in the bottom of the third, Dos Santos hit a line drive to right field for a single.  After a pickoff attempt by Benitez, Toronto's speedster stole second.  The next man up was DH Jhon Javier.  He hit a grounder that got past the third baseman and rolled to left field where it was misplayed by the outfielder.  Dos Santos scored and Javier landed on second base.  A single by Castaldo scored Javier and the Leafs went ahead 3-1 through three.

The sun set and the game rolled on, each team nipping at the other.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Baycats nipped hard.  They singled twice off Hernandez and scored a run on a groundout to make it 3-2.

It was around that time that the buzz around the ballpark increased.  Who should stroll into Christie Pits but hockey star and local hero Max Domi.  He just happens to be Luca Boscarino's cousin, like, no big deal.  He promised the Leaf outfielder that he would come to the game to support the boys.  Boscarino promised that he would hit a nuke if Domi showed up.  With his cousin in the house, Boscarino smashed the red button and launched a missile in the bottom of the fifth.  Like, no big deal.  The Pits went wild as the Leafs extended their lead.  A sac fly by Castaldo in the same inning made it 5-2.

Maple Leaf Hernandez hit Baycat Francisco Hernandez with a pitch to start the sixth inning.  The Barrie second baseman stole second and moved to third on an error.  He scored on a groundout and once again the visitors pulled closer, 5-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Leafs blew the game open.  

It began with the first pitch thrown by reliever and former Leaf Chris Nagorski.  Catcher Justin Marra tattooed it for a home run.

A Justin Marra home run is one of the most electrifying moments in all of the IBL.  From the moment of contact, all eyes follow the soaring ball as it leaves the park, then all heads turn to follow Marra as he dances around the bases barely touching dirt.  The unbridled joy on his face, the finger guns for the Bushmen, the epic handslap with Rob Butler.  The communal energy generated in these few seconds could power the municipal grid for days.

Shortstop Spenser Ross drew a walk, and then bam!  A two-run dinger by second baseman Dan Marra.  Later in the inning, Javier drove in two runs with his fourth single of the game.  The rally simply would not end.  Justin returned to the plate and singled in another run.  It took the combined efforts of Nagorski and Brad Grieveson to get out of the inning but not before the home side had surged ahead 11-3.

The Baycats had no response.  After completing six innings on the mound, Hernandez turned the game over to Matt Brown and his powerful moustache.  Over two innings, Brown gave up one hit and struck out three.

In the ninth inning, Taylor Lepard delivered one of the most famous endings seen at the Pits this year.  A bit of background: Lepard has spent the entire summer waiting for a visa so he could travel to the United States and join the Staten Island Ferry Hawks of the independent Atlantic League.  For months, he spent his time between appearances for the Leafs drumming his fingers and posting messages of frustration and yearning on Instagram.  Midgame last night, the news broke.  The visa was approved.  Lepard pitched a fast, scoreless ninth inning and the Leafs won 11-3.  As his teammates gathered at the mound for high fives, staff cleared a path off the diamond for the departing pitcher.  He was immediately packed into a black SUV for a high-speed motorcade to Pearson Airport, with motorcycle police escort.  Lepard pitches for the FerryHawks on Tuesday.

Mapes!  Winners of Game 2.  Hernandez earned the W while Benitez took the L.  

Four hits for Javier.  Four runs for Dos Santos.  RBIs were delivered by the bats of Javier (3), Castaldo (2), Justin Marra (2), Dan Marra (2) and Boscarino (1).

It was a festive night at the Pits as fans were assured of more baseball to be played this year at Toronto's sunken ballpark.

Barrie 3 7 4

Toronto 11 14 1

W - Hernandez (1-0, 4.50)

L - Benitez (0-1, 7.20)

BOXSCORE

This quarterfinal series continues Sunday afternoon in Barrie.  Game 3 will take place at Athletic Kulture Stadium with first pitch at 4:05 PM.