A Brave New World of Maple Leafs Baseball Begins

Winter -- that disgrace -- has been tossed and summer takes the field.

The Intercounty Baseball League is back in a big way, with an expanded season and a full slate of eight clubs striving to seize the Dominico Cup.

The 2022 IBL season will be the start of a new era for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In January, owner Jack Dominico passed away.  The Leafs' iconic figurehead operated the club for over half a century, practically its entire existence.  After knowing only one boss for so long, the Leafs will take their first steps forward with a new organizational structure.

After being the club's chief counsel for many years, Ty Crawford assumes the role of chief operating officer.  Crawford is a former IBL player who managed the Leafs back in 1973 and 1974.

Roger Lajoie, who was the Leafs' public address announcer from 1979 to 2013, returns as vice president of business operations.

Damon Topolie joined the Leafs in 1999 and played on three of their championship teams before transitioning to player-manager.  Still active, he returns as vice president of baseball operations and GM/field manager.

Ryan Eakin, long a fixture with the Barrie Baycats, joined the Leafs last season and will take on an expanded role as director of communications and game day operations.

This core four will safeguard Dominico's legacy and guide the Leafs into the future.

"The goal right now is to make the franchise as viable as possible to a potential buyer and we are doing that through modernizing our social media platforms, YouTube broadcasts, and by [obtaining] new sponsors," Eakin said.  "All this is with the hope that we will be able to continue the tradition of Maple Leafs Baseball at Christie Pits for years to come."

Christie Pits remains the Leafs' home and the park itself will look much as it always has.  Fans will notice some changes on game days, including walkups for the players.  The familiar club magazine is being replaced by a lineup card.

The Leafs will be bolstering merchandise sales at the park, and longtime raffle ticket seller Al Ross will play a role there.  The game day raffle is no more.

Toronto's rabid fans will be able to catch 21 home games in an expanded 42-game season this summer.  It is only the second time in league history that the regular season has been this long, and it's certainly welcome news after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season, and a shortened season last year.  More baseball, moar!

The complete 2022 schedule can be found here.

The Leafs' season opener is Sunday, May 15 and they will welcome the 2021 champion London Majors to Christie Pits.  First pitch is at 2:00pm.

The club that takes the field on Sunday will include many familiar faces.  The Leafs have announced the return of several players on social media.  They include pitchers Marek Deska, Zach Sloan, Adam Marra, and fielders Greg Carrington, Jordan Castaldo, Dan Marra, Justin Marra, Ryan Santos, Jonathan Solazzo and Grant Tamane.  I will add more names as the club makes announcements.

One name that will not be returning is slugging colossus Sean Reilly, who has returned to his ancestral home to play for the Guelph Royals.  The Royals shut down operations for two seasons because of the pandemic, but they are back this year.

Last year, the Leafs finished second in the league and went on a postseason run that took them all the way to the deciding game of the championship series.  They fell short by one game, and watched the Majors hoist the Dominico Cup at Labatt Park.

"Unfinished Business" is the club's theme for 2022.  Nothing short of a ninth title will satisfy the staff and players who will launch the post-Jack era of Maple Leafs baseball this Sunday.

Jack Dominico's Vision Changed Toronto Sports History

Jack Dominico, Toronto Maple Leafs owner and master of all he surveyed from the pressbox at Christie Pits, passed away on January 11, 2022.

As local lore will have it, the Toronto sports scene was forever changed one afternoon in the summer of 1968.

A newspaper man – on the sales side, not the writing side – happened to drive past Christie Pits Park on Bloor Street.  Circling the curious sunken playgrounds, he cast his gaze over the baseball diamond nestled in the northeast corner of the park. 

“That’s where I want my team to play,” Jack Dominico announced.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were not his team quite yet.  Pieced together from the remains of the Triple-A International League ballclub that left town for Louisville, Kentucky after 1967, a new team bearing the same “Maple Leafs” name would begin play as the amateur Intercounty Baseball League’s newest franchise in 1969.  

Alex Stanley, a local amateur baseball star, led the ownership group that brought the new Leafs into existence.  Dominico was involved from the start, handling the advertising side of things.  

The ballclub needed a new home.  The departed team had played in Maple Leaf Stadium at the corner of Lakeshore and Bathurst.  Old and rickety, the stadium was demolished in early 1968.

Whether Dominico’s fateful spin around the Pits is apocryphal or not, the new Leafs took the field in May, 1969, and Christie Pits has been their home ever since.

Dominico and his wife Lynne assumed full ownership in 1970. They operated all facets of the club together: recruitment and player signings, advertising and sponsorships, publications and game-day operations.

Playing in a public park instead of an enclosed private stadium kept the Leafs from charging admission to games, a situation that remains to this day.  From the very beginning the onus was on Dominico to keep the club afloat.  A relentless hustler, he sold ad space in club publications and on banners that hung on the outfield fences at the diamond.  Not only did he keep the club afloat, he kept it profitable, year after year.

Lynne passed away in 2008 and Jack continued as sole owner of the club until he died on January 11 at the age of 82.

Dominico loomed large over Christie Pits, literally.  On game days, his customary place was inside the press box perched on top of the hillside behind home plate.  From there he was master of all he surveyed, and he let everyone know it.

He was an assertive salesman and skillful organizer, but as soon as the first pitch hit the catcher’s mitt, Dominico became a fan like anyone else.  Not a game went by – sometimes not an inning – without hearing his booming voice react to the action below.  

If an umpire (in his opinion) blew a call, they heard about it.  If one of his players messed up, they heard about it.  If his manager let a game slip away, they heard about it.  His trademark groans and gripes rang around the Pits without needing the PA system.

“It was mostly an act,” said longtime Leafs raffle ticket seller Alan Ross.

Dominico’s outbursts may have been part of the game day entertainment, but to many, he had a heart of gold.

“He found jobs for many players,” said Ross.  “Even people who didn’t like him agreed that without Jack there wouldn’t be a league.”

While overseeing the league’s flagship franchise, Dominico quietly steered financial support to struggling clubs.  He did so without seeking fanfare, but to keep the league going in tough times.

“He knew everybody,” said Ross, citing an example from late in the 2021 season, which lasted deep into September and far beyond its usual ending point.  

The Leafs were playing in the IBL’s championship series, but the City of Toronto kept to its seasonal parks maintenance schedule and removed the portable restrooms at the park just before a game at Christie Pits.  Ross raised the issue with Dominico, who placed one phone call.  The following day, the port-a-potties were back.

In 2010, in recognition of his contributions to local sports, the city officially named the Leaf’s home Dominico Field at Christie Pits. 

The trophy presented to the IBL champions at the end of each season also bears Dominico’s name, in tribute to his unparalleled contributions to the league’s success.

In recent years, ailing health limited Dominico’s mobility and his final appearance at the ballpark was in 2019.

He maintained communications with his staff and players by phone, doting over them like a father figure.

Dominico may be gone but the Leafs will go on.  Damon Topolie, the club’s general manager, will continue to assemble the roster and manage the team on the field.  Christie Pits will be the home of Leafs baseball this summer, as it has since 1969.

In the long term it remains to be seen what will become of Dominico’s estate, including the ownership of the Leafs.  One thing for certain is that his vision for baseball at Christie Pits changed Toronto sports history.

This article was first published in the Annex Gleaner, March 14, 2022.

Five Leafs Named IBL 2021 All Stars

This week the Intercounty Baseball League announced its 2021 All Star Teams, and half the Toronto Maple Leafs starting lineup made the cut.

That five Leafs were selected is tribute to the all star lineup that the club fielded all season.

First team selections from the Leafs were outfielder Marcus Knecht, catcher Justin Marra, designated hitter Sean Reilly, and second baseman Garrett Takamatsu.

Leafs third baseman Johnathan Solazzo was a second team selection.

The first and second all star teams are selected by a poll of IBL coaches and management.

MARCUS KNECHT

JUSTIN MARRA

SEAN REILLY

GARRETT TAKAMATSU

JOHNATHAN SOLAZZO

Takamatsu Named IBL's 2021 MVP

As the flow goes, so goes the nation.

Garrett Takamatsu has been named the Intercounty Baseball League's 2021 Most Valuable Player.

After a Rookie of the Year season in 2018, Takamatsu returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs full-time in 2021 and dominated most offensive categories.

In 29 regular season games, the Christie Pits fan favourite led the league with 52 hits, a slugging percentage of .815 and an OPS of 1.325.  His 13 doubles also led the league.

He placed second in every other major category: batting average (.419), home runs (12), runs batted in (38), on-base percentage (.510).  Late in the season, he made a run at the triple crown but the entire Leafs' batting order ended up winning it.

Tak proved capable in the field as well.  An anchor at second base, he also played the outfield when situations demanded it early in the season.  

Having written his name in the league's history books so soon, a ring has to be next for Takamatsu and his swashbuckling teammates.

The Leafs' 2021 season was one of their best in recent years.  They finished 2nd in the standings and made it to the IBL Championship Series for the first time since 2016, falling short in the series' deciding game.  

Maple Leafs baseball will return for a 53rd season at Christie Pits in May, 2022.

Leafs Fall in October, Season Ends

2021 IBL Championship Series - Game 5, October 1 - Toronto Maple Leafs at London Majors

Majors win 8-4, win series 3-2

Evan DiMichele and Kyle Perrett look on from the Maple Leafs' bullpen as the London Majors celebrate.

The 2021 IBL season has ended, and the London Majors are IBL champions.

They won Game 5 at Labatt Park 8-4 over the Toronto Maple Leafs to capture their first league title since 1975.

The Leafs' truncated, compressed, electrifying season ends in disappointment.  After clearing every other hurdle during their postseason run, they could not find a way to win on the road in London.

On Friday night, the Mapes chugged into their opponents' ballpark with a full head of steam, fired up by Sean Reilly's walk-off home run at Christie Pits the night before.  They were one win away from clinching the title, and in the deciding game they took an early lead.

First baseman Jordan Castaldo doubled to start the game, and scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Johnathan Solazzo.

A Castaldo single in the 2nd drove home center fielder Connor Lewis.

DH Reilly doubled to start the 3rd, advanced to third on a single by second baseman Garrett Takamatsu, and came home on a single by Solazzo.

London's bullpen scrambled into action as starter Owen Boon looked to be on the ropes.

Midway through the third the Leafs led 3-0 and the park was deathly quiet.  The PA announcer gently pleaded with fans to make some noise.  In the bottom of the inning the Majors provided some incentive.

Marek Deska cruised through the first two innings on the mound for Toronto, but got into a jam in the bottom of the 3rd.  He gave up four hits including a three-run home run by Byron Reichstein - this third in two games.  London jumped ahead 4-3 and momentum shifted for a final time in this series.

London added a run in the 4th to make it 5-3.

From that point, Boon settled down and made it through six innings.  He handed it over to Eduardo Perez the rest of the way.

The Leafs mounted a final dangerous rally in the top of the 8th.  They loaded the bases but could only get one more run across the plate, courtesy of a sac fly by catcher Justin Marra.

With the innings and outs trickling away, the Leafs got sloppy and recorded three errors late in the game.  With the wind in their sails, London tacked on more runs and came away with an 8-4 final score.

After the final out, the Majors convened at midfield for the traditional pileup.  Fans ran onto the outfield.  Bottles emerged from beneath jackets.  London celebrated its first championship in 46 years.

The last time the IBL postseason stretched all the way into October was in 1982.  A month of monsoon weather wreaked havoc on the schedule, but Toronto eventually defeated London.  This time Toronto fell short, and the Leafs fell in October.

Toronto 4 14 3
London 8 11 0

W - Boon (2-1, 3.42)
L - Deska (3-1, 6.26)

BOXSCORE

Leafs One Win Away From Title

2021 IBL Championship Series - Game 4, September 30 - London Majors at Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs win 6-5 (13 innings), series tied 2-2

The calm before the bomb: Sean Reilly's 13th inning home run sent the Pits into a frenzy.

Dustin Richardson saved the game, and Sean Reilly won it.

Facing elimination in the IBL Championship Series at Christie Pits last night, Richardson pitched seven innings of relief and Reilly's walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 6-5 victory over the London Majors.

The Leafs are one win away from their first IBL title since 2007.  A final, winner-take-all game will be played tonight at Labatt Park.

Game 4 will go down as a classic.  The Leafs fell behind early, trailed 4-0 as late as the 6th, then staged yet another Christie comeback to send the game into extras.  A duel of relief pitchers ratcheted the tension with each inning, until Reilly blew the lid off the place. 

A sizeable crowd settled into the Pits as the sun set on the waning hours of September.  Bundled up against the cool evening, the local rooters were eager to see the series extended.  

Justin Cicatello and Pedro De Los Santos started on the mound for Toronto and London respectively.

For the first four innings, the contest was exclusively between Cicatello and the Majors' Byron Reichstein, with Cicatello taking the worst of it.  Reichstein hit him for leadoff home runs in the 2nd and 4th innings.  The visitors added another run to take a 3-0 lead through four.  

Meanwhile De Los Santos scattered three hits across the same span.  The Leafs loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th, but the visitors escaped the jam.

Adam Filmon doubled and Carlos Arteaga drove him in to give London a four run lead and raise the volume coming from the Majors' bench.  The Leafs had yet to score and the remaining innings were becoming increasingly precious.

In the bottom of the 6th Toronto finally got to De Los Santos.  Right fielder Marcus Knecht singled and stole second, then roared for home on a single by left fielder Chandler McLaren.  An error moved McLaren to second, and he scored on a single by center fielder Connor Lewis.  London's lead was halved, 4-2 through six.

Cicatello emptied his tank in the top of the 7th.  After walking two batters, he was relieved by Dustin Richardson, whom manager Damon Topolie entrusted to see the game through to the end.  If we only knew how far away the end still was.

Richardson surrendered an RBI double to Cleveland Brownlee to close the book on Cicatello.  From then on, he began striking Majors out with purpose.

The Majors got messy in the bottom of the 7th and the Leafs took advantage.  Catcher Justin Marra led off with a single and DH Reilly reached on an error.  Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Marra scored on a groundout by Knecht.  After third baseman Johnathan Solazzo was hit by a pitch, shortstop Dan Marra doubled to bring Reilly home.  The Majors clung to a 5-4 lead after seven.

As he had in the first game of the series, De Los Santos kept returning to the mound deep into the game.  This night it was one inning too many.  He walked Lewis to start the frame, then gave up an RBI single to Reilly that tied the game 5-5 and brought the Pits to its feet.  De Los Santos was immediately relieved by Lucas Kelley, who escaped without any further damage.

The entire park now awaited the winning run.  Richardson and Kelley swapped halves of a scoreless 9th to send the game into extras for the first time this series.  From the 9th through the 12th, London managed just two hits while the Mapes scraped out three, but neither side could get a run across.

With the month of October once hours, now minutes away, Richardson must have looked like the Grim Reaper to Majors batters.  Over seven innings, he struck out twelve of them.  

Kelley could not match that output but he kept the Leafs off the board until his luck ran out in the 13th inning.  With one out, Reilly stepped up to the plate and smoked a four-base hit that landed in the trees beyond left field.  

I have watched the clip of this moment approximately 50 times, each time observing the reaction of a different character in the frame.  

Standing on deck, Garrett Takamatsu knows the game is over and he triumphantly whips his bat aside.  The Leafs bench rises in unison to watch the ball go.  The fans seated behind home plate leap to their feet.  Fans on the hillside jump up and down.  Catcher Hayden Jaco remains in his squat until the ball clears the fence, then walks dejectedly to the visitors' bench.  The Majors fielders stand stunned for a few seconds, then trudge off the field.  The Leafs players bounce around home plate and the bullpen races in from left to join the welcoming committee.

The most mesmerising of all is Reilly.  After his colossal swing, he drops his bat in front of the plate, takes a few steps towards first, then punches the sky with both fists.  He rounds first and instead of slowly soaking in the moment, he accelerates around second and points to the Bushmen, who must have been losing their minds on the hillside with the rest of us.  Rounding third, he simultaneously hi fives Topolie and hurls his batting helmet into the sky.  Arriving home he jumps to stomp on the plate like a kid leaping and vanishing into a pile of Leafs.

The final pitch thrown at the Pits in 2021 produced its only walk-off home run of the year.

The IBL's Greatest of All-Time lived up to the moment and created a memory that will be talked about for years to come.

Once again, the home team wins and momentum shifts.  There has been the slimmest ray of light between these two clubs.  It has been a great series.

This postseason, the Leafs have overcome every challenge thrown in their path.  With one game left to play they face their final, greatest one: win on the road in London, and bring the Dominico Cup home.

London 5 11 4
Toronto 6 13 2

(13 innings)

W - Richardson (1-0, 0.00)
L - Kelley (0-1, 1.35)

BOXSCORE

The series concludes Friday night at Labatt Park in London, with a winner-take-all Game 5.  First pitch is at 7:35 pm.