Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - May 11 to 17, 2026
The Leafs opened the season hot (yes! more please!), but then cooled off (no! reverse!) to wrap up Week 1.
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| Dennis Dei Baning swats his third home run of the season, three games into the season. |
He's the man for all seasons.
From the frozen north to the sweaty south, he hits home runs in all weather. He's been knocking round trips since the day he was born.
He's Dennis Dei BANG, the new legend of Christie Pits. The Toronto Maple Leafs centerfielder opened the 2026 campaign with a three-game home run hitting streak. Total power move. Easily the CBL player of the week.
So far this season, the Leafs are living and dying by the long ball. Nine of their eleven runs scored this week came via the home run. They beat the Kitchener Panthers with a three-bomb barrage. After that, things tightened up and they lost their following two. The power was still there - three homers in two games, but all solo shots. The boys need to get on base to make the most of this energetic start.
Bang Man is setting the tone. His teammates need to get on it.
Here's the recap of Week 1 in this new season of Maple Leafs baseball.
Sunday, May 10, 2026 - Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs
A full recap of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2026 home opener can be found at this link.
Kitchener 6 6 0
Toronto 8 10 1
W - Martinez (1-0, 5.40)
L - MacNeil (0-1, 12.00)
S - Poapst (1)
Thursday, May 14, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats
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| Dennis Dei Baning completes his home run trot to score the Leafs' only run of the game. (image: Barrie Baycats TV) |
New league! New roster! New hopes and dreams!
After months of hyping the newness of things, the Toronto Maple Leafs went to Barrie and delivered a result that fans would find hauntingly familiar.
On a frigid night at Athletic Kulture Stadium, the Leafs fell behind early and managed a single run in a 6-1 defeat to the Baycats.
Some of the Leafs' new arms took the mound and they did well. Starter Nick Veselinovic pitched a couple of innings and gave up a run. Reliever Mike Ribis went three-plus innings and gave up the bulk of Barrie's runs. Frankie Gulko and the returning Ben Sitarenios closed things out clean.
At the plate, the Leafs were unable to put much of a dent into starter Frank Garces. Centerfielder Dennis Dei Baning launched his second moon shot in as many games to produce the visitors' lone run. Marcus Knecht stroked a couple of doubles but was left on base both times. All told, the Leafs stranded nine men in the losing effort.
Garces earned the win in the 6-1 FINAL. Veselinovic took the loss. Barrie fans went home frozen but happy. Plus ça change...
Toronto 1 6 0
Barrie 6 8 1
W - Garces (1-0, 0.00)
L - Veselinovic (0-1, 3.00)
Sunday, May 17, 2026 - Hamilton Cardinals vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Matt Brandt got in on the home run action with a solo shot in the ninth. |
Sunday at Christie Pits, the Leafs scuffled again.
The visiting Hamilton Cardinals churned out 15 hits en route to an 8-2 victory.
The Mapes managed five hits including a pair of solo home runs.
After a ceremonial first pitch toss from Bushman Elliot Hill, Opening Day starter Yadian Martinez returned to the mound but did not fare as well. In his second appearance of the season, he was tagged for five earned runs off nine hits including a home run early in the game. He struck out two and walked two.
In the top of the second inning, Reyny Reyes's solo dinger gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Under hot sunny skies, Hamilton pecked away at Martinez. They added a run in the third and three more in the fifth to end his day.
In the bottom of the fifth, centerfielder Dennis Dei Baning whacked a double for the first Leaf hit of the day off starter Hector Yan.
Alex Lanigan pitched a scoreless sixth for the Leafs. Left fielder Yasiel Puig robbed Darlin German of what looked to be a home run with a leaping catch against the fence to end the inning. It was the highlight of the day for the former MLB All-Star who went 0-4 at the plate.
Through six innings, the Cardinals led 5-0 and the Leafs had come up with just a pair of hits.
Wilgenis Alvarado entered the game in the seventh and pitched a scoreless frame.
Bottom seven, Dei Baning got one he liked from reliever Luis Ramirez and smashed it over the fence in left, his third home run in as many games. That put the Leafs on the board but they still trailed 5-1.
In the top of the eighth, German avenged himself with an RBI single to make it 6-1.
In the ninth, the Cardinals tacked on two more runs off reliever Kyle Poapst to make it 8-1.
Redbirds roosted on the bases all afternoon. Not only did they score eight runs but they also left 13 runners aboard. It could have been a lot uglier.
In the bottom of the ninth, catcher Matt Brandt knocked his first professional home run, putting his name alongside Babe Ruth who also achieved that milestone in Toronto.
That was it for the home side as the visitors secured an 8-2 FINAL. Yan with the win, Martinez with the loss. Ramirez pitched the final three innings for what should be recorded as a save (unless the CBL is not acknowledging that stat).
Two losses in a row for the Leafs, but there were some pleasant sites on the day: another huge crowd blanketed the hillsides, with more people lining the fences all around the park.
A couple of new additions to the Pits this season are a warning track, and assistant coach Rich Butler. Rich, who is the size of two Robs, made a formidable baseline presence.
Hamilton 8 15 0
Toronto 2 5 1
W - Yan
L - Martinez
S - Ramirez
So ends the first week of the 2026 CBL season. The Leafs went 1-2, good for seventh place, a game-and-a-half behind the London Majors and Welland Jackfish.
The week ahead:
Saturday, May 23 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 6:05 pm at Welland Stadium
Sunday, May 24 - Guelph Royals vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 2:00 pm at Christie Pits
**POST-CREDITS SCENE**
People come up to me and ask "where's this person?" "where's that person?" I did some searching and have updates.
Janice Bellmore - this Maple Leafs superfan has been absent from Christie Pits for a couple of summers. I tracked down a contact at a downtown church where she used to volunteer. They report that Janice has moved to the west side of town. She is doing well and helping out a church there.
Roger Lajoie - the longtime voice of Maple Leafs baseball left the club in 2023. He continues to work as a host on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. This season, he has become a member of the Hamilton Cardinals broadcast team as colour commentator.
Johnathan Solazzo - after many years working the hot corner for the Maple Leafs, The Conductor spent last season in Hamilton. Things did not work out and Solazzo left the club. This season he is not playing baseball.
If there is anyone else in the Dominico Cinematic Universe whose whereabouts you are wondering about, shoot me a message and I'll try to track them down.
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