Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - August 17 to 23, 2026
Week 15 saw the Maple Leafs playing for place, pride and paycheques.
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| Yasiel Puig edged closer to CBL history with two home runs this week. |
The 2026 season of Toronto Maple Leafs baseball has been a grind.
Both to watch, and to write about.
When a club stumbles out of the gate, plays catchup all season and fades from postseason contention, highlights are few.
It's late August and the Leafs have been eliminated from postseason play. It's the first time this has happened since 2014 when they lost a one-game wild card play-in. It is the first time the club will be excluded any kind of playoff games for the first time since 1983.
For the players it has been the ultimate grind. The boys in blue are still grinding as the schedule ticks down.
Some are playing for place. Striving to avoid finishing in the cellar. Striving for a spot on next year's roster. Striving for league history in pursuit of a single-season record.
Some are playing for pride. Showing up every day. Taking on the role of spoiler and having an impact on the standings.
Some are playing for a paycheque. At the end of the day, despite the aches and pains that accrue over a season, they are professionals. And one more direct deposit is incoming.
Now then, here's the recap of Week 15 in Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs
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| Yasiel Puig drove in three of the Leafs' 18 runs in a Christie Pits shootout. |
Lordy, lordy, look who scored forty.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Brantford Red Sox spent four hours whaling away on each other at Christie Pits.
When the dust finally settled, eight home runs had left the park, the pitchers had been assaulted for a total of 34 hits and the Red Sox came away 22-18 winners. It was a Christie classic in the grand old style.
Where to begin. The Red Sox scored in all but three innings. Same with the Leafs. If it was was possible to award both starting pitchers a loss there might be an argument here. Brantford's Elian Serrata pitched into the fifth inning and gave up eight runs on five hits and seven walks. He also hit two batters. Wilgenis Alvarado fared worse. He lasted three and two-thirds of an inning and got knocked around for twelve runs (eleven earned) on nine hits and a walk. To quote Shakespeare, "A woeful pageant have we here beheld."*
As tides and swells go, the visitors rolled in hard and fast. They opened the game with five runs, led 8-4 after two innings, and 14-6 midway through the game.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Leafs exploded for six runs. Serrata put the first two men aboard and was relieved by Jose Arias. An error loaded the bases, and then shortstop Spenser Ross grounded out but a run scored. DH Yasiel Puig was intentionally walked to re-load the bases. Second baseman Yordan Manduley singled to score a run. Pinch hitter Yolki Pena singled in two runs. Left fielder Dennis Dei Baning capped off the rally with a two-run double. After five innings the Red Sox clung to a 14-12 lead and the Pits were bouncing.
In the sixth inning, each team scored a run to make it a 15-13 ballgame.
The score remained that way until the ninth, when both teams went wild at the plate. Reliever Luis Florentino was the victim. He gave up six runs (four earned) on three hits and two walks. Alex Lanigan came in to finish the inning, and the Red Sox added another run off of him. There was no end to it.
Bottom of the ninth, instead of folding, the Leafs erupted one more time. Six hits, five runs, but the comeback fell short. FINAL score was 22-18, 40 runs scored in total.
Some lucky schmoe had to win this one and it ended up being Arias. Alvarado took the loss and Jorge De La Cruz earned a save.
For the Leafs at the plate, Puig wrote the biggest headline. He hit two home runs, giving him 19 on the season, now two short of tying the all-time record set by Sean Reilly in 2013. Puig, Dei Baning and third baseman Matt Brandt each drove in three runs. Pena topped them all with four RBIs. And he can't stop scoring! The trade with Hamilton that brought him to the Pits is turning out to be a steal of a deal. Ross also drove in a pair. Manduley, right fielder Marcus Knecht and first baseman Ben Sitarenios each drove in one.
* from Richard II.
Brantford 22 19 3
Toronto 18 15 2
W - Arias (3-3, 8.51)
L - Alvarado (1-7, 10.01)
S - De La Cruz (5)
Friday, August 21, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Brantford Red Sox
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| The Leafs returned to Brantford and victory was elusive again. (file photo) |
Swept.
The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to Arnold Anderson Stadium and lost their third game in a row to the Brantford Red Sox, 6-2.
A close game was sunk in the sixth when the Red Sox rallied to overthrow a fine effort by starting pitcher Nick Veselinovic.
Brantford took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when Veselinovic hit leadoff batter Andrew Savage with a pitch and a pair of hits brought him home.
In the top of the third, the Leafs tied the game thanks to a sacrifice fly by second baseman Yordan Manduley that plated shortstop Spenser Ross. 1-1 through three.
In the top of the fifth, the Leafs jumped ahead. Ross drew a walk off of starter Leandro Mejia, stole second and ended up on third after the throw to second ended up in shallow center. DH Yasiel Puig hit an easy grounder up the middle and Ross trotted home. The Leafs led 2-1 after five innings.
Veselinovic cruised into the bottom of the six having given up just three hits. It all came undone when two walks and an error loaded the bases with no out. A sac fly and a wild pitch brought two runs in. Christian Kuzemka then hit his fourth home run in two games to give the Red Sox a 5-2 lead.
The Leafs were held scoreless over the final four innings. Brantford tacked on one more in the eighth and swept the three-game series with a 6-2 FINAL score.
Mejia earned the win and Jose Arias got a save. The loss dropped Veselinovic's record to 6-3 on the season.
Saturday, August 22, 2026 - Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs (rescheduled rainout)
This game was rained out and will be part of a Friday night doubleheader August 28 at Christie Pits, beginning at 5:00 pm.
Sunday, August 23, 2026 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Hamilton Cardinals
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| Cam Dimidjian overcame a tough start and battled through seven innings. (file photo) |
But for a turbulent first inning.
The Toronto Maple Leafs fell behind and could not catch up to the Hamilton Cardinals, losing 8-4.
The game was delayed by 90 minutes to allow a menace of vapour clouds and storm to pass over Bernie Arbour Stadium.
Once the contest began under sunny but breezy skies, the hosts jumped all over starting pitcher Cam Dimidjian. They hit two home runs and ran up a 5-0 score.
It was unfortunate for Dimidjian, who battled hard through seven innings. Over his final six he gave up just three hits and one more run, shutting down the Cardinals bats and giving his teammates a chance to come back.
Not if Luis Ramirez had anything to do about it. Hamilton's starting pitcher was almost untouchable, giving up just one hit over the first six innings and leading his side to a 6-0 score.
It was in the seventh inning when the Mapes rallied and the home side did them some favours. With two out, centerfielder J.J. Dutton singled. DH Marcus Knecht lifted one to centerfield that was misplayed and bounced further towards the fence. Dutton scored and Knecht churned all the way to third base. The next man up was third baseman Crix Taveras and he reached safely on an error. Knecht scored on the play and it was a 6-2 ballgame through seven.
In the top of the eighth, the Leafs pulled closer. Catcher Kyle Poapst was hit by a pitch to lead off, and first baseman Ben Sitarenios followed with a single. Shortstop Spenser Ross singled to score Poapst. Dennis Dei Baning (who had entered the game in the fourth inning after starting right fielder Yasiel Puig was ejected for arguing balls and strikes) hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Sitarenios to score and suddenly it was 6-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Graham Sim took over on the mound and Hamilton put the game away. They scored twice on five hits to extend their lead to 8-4.
The Leafs ran out of comeback cards and that was how the game ended. Ramirez with the win and Dimidjian with the loss.
At 13-29, the Leafs remain in eighth place, 17 games behind the London Majors. The baseball gods conspired with Mother Nature to jam six games into the final week of the season, including a trip to Welland and two separate trips to Chatham-Kent, beginning tonight.
The week ahead:
Monday, August 24 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, 7:35 pm at Fergie Jenkins Field (rescheduled rainout)
Wednesday, August 26 - Brantford Red Sox vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 pm at Christie Pits (rescheduled rainout)
Friday, August 28 - DOUBLEHEADER: Kitchener Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1 at 5:00 pm, Game 2 at approximately 7:30 pm at Christie Pits (rescheduled rainout)
Saturday, August 29 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish, 6:05 pm at Welland Stadium
Sunday, August 30 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, 4:05 pm at Fergie Jenkins Field
** END OF REGULAR SEASON **
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