Baycats Open Up a Can

IBL Quarterfinals - Game 1 - August 22, 2024

Toronto Maple Leafs at Barrie Baycats

Toronto 8

Barrie 14

Barrie leads series 1-0

Ryan Dos Santos looks on as Justin Marra bats last night in Barrie.  Marra and Mike Cecchetto each recorded three hits including a home run, but the Baycats took Game 1.

Whoop-Ass.

Last night at Vintage Throne Stadium, the Barrie Baycats opened up a big can of it at the expense of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As the sun set behind the conifers beyond right field, the clubs opened their 2024 Quarterfinal series.  Frank Garces on the mound for the home side against the noisy horse, Angel Castro.

A scoreless opening inning gave way to said can being opened and said asses being whooped.

In the bottom of the second inning, Barrie sent ten men to the plate.  They racked up six singles and a walk to put five runs on the board.

In the bottom of the third inning, Brandon Hernandez hit a bases-clearing, three-run double to make it 8-0 Barrie.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Baycats pounded out four more hits including a solo home run by Nolan Machibroda.  They scored five more runs to make it 13-0.  Castro could not make it through the inning and Alex Lanigan came in to staunch the bleeding.

While all of this was going on, the Leafs barely made a scratch on Garces.  Through five innings they recorded just one hit, a single off the bat of centerfielder Connor Lewis.

Garces pitched six innings, giving up just three hits while striking out ten and walking two.

The score remained 13-0 until the seventh, when catcher Justin Marra hit a solo home run off of reliever Ryan Lacasse.  Marra rounded the bases at a steady trot, head down, no appetite for celebrating despite running in the direction of the Bushmen, who were seated behind the third-base corner.

A quartet of Bushmen was on the scene, blasting the Throne with heckling all game long.  Garces seemed impervious to the taunts, perhaps spared by a language barrier.  Lacasse appeared to come undone by a multi-inning barrage of chair-based put-downs based on a mistranslation of his surname that defies explanation.  It's like trying to sum up Ulysses in one sentence.  You had to be there through the whole organic experience.

Anyway, it worked.  The Leafs rallied late.  

Barrie scored another run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 14-1, but Toronto scored again in the eighth.  DH Mike Cecchetto hit an RBI single to score Justin and make it 14-2.

Landon Leach pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth to keep things rolling.  Frustrations also boiled over.  Leafs manager Rob Butler was tossed.  Angel Castro was also tossed from the bench, the home plate umpire's tolerance of all his racket finally exhausted.

In the top of the ninth, the Leafs almost staged an impossible comeback.  Lacasse remained on the mound, wondering why those lunatics on the third base side kept yelling about chairs.  He surrendered a single to Julian Johnson, who had been subbed in at first base in place of Jordan Castaldo.  Right fielder Marcus Knecht then blasted a two-run bomb.  Lacasse started coming apart like a patio chair left outside over winter.  Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo reached base on an error, and Justin Marra followed with a double.  A walk to pinch hitter Greg Carrington loaded the bases.  That brought Cecchetto back to the plate, and big Number 3 hit a blast of Ruthian proportions.  Grand Slam!  Holy Smokes!  Lacasse was on the ropes, but he escaped.  Second baseman Dan Marra popped out to end the game, the Baycats grabbed the 14-8 FINAL and got out of there.

Garces was the winning pitcher and Castro took the loss.  A shattered Lacasse was awarded a save for his three-inning effort.

Toronto 8 12 1

Barrie 14 18 1

W - Garces (1-0, 0.00)

L - Castro (0-1, 32.40)

S - Lacasse (1)

BOXSCORE

It's on to Game Two tomorrow, a rare Saturday Night Main Event at Christie Pits.  Game time is 7:30 pm.

It promises to be a high-decibal night, as the Leafs pre-game festivities will kick off at 6:00 pm and BW the DJ will be spinning tunes all night long.   At the same time, a punk rock festival will be going on at the skate park next door.  Decibals and more decibals.

UPDATE: it was announced on Saturday that the skate park punk rock festival relocated to a different venue.

Postseason Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Barrie Baycats - 2024 Quarterfinal Series

Barrie's Ryan Rijo and Toronto's Johnathan Solazzo led their respective clubs in home runs this season.  As go their bats, so may go this quarterfinal series.

Start your engines, it's playoff time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' rolling caravan prepares to head up the 400 as the Leafs begin their 2024 postseason campaign against the Barrie Baycats.

The rivalry is renewed.  In recent seasons these clubs have done battle with a mixed bag of victories and defeats for each side.

The season series was a lopsided affair in the Baycats' favour.  They won five in a row, including a couple of big blowouts, before the Leafs won a wild 10-9 walkoff at Christie Pits on August 7.

Recent postseason history has favoured the Leafs.  They ended the regular season with some wind in their sails, and hopefully that will carry them to an opening round victory.

What do the stats say?

AT THE PLATE

I am literally cutting and pasting the following line from last year's postseason previews.  The Maple Leafs live by the bat and die by the bat.  When they rally, runs come in bunches and wins follow.

The 2024 Baycats outhit and outslugged the Leafs in most categories, but the Leafs know when to pick their spots.  They hit the third-most home runs in the IBL this season.  Johnathan Solazzo, Justin Marra and Jordan Castaldo are always threats to go deep, but there's home run power up and down the lineup.  If the bats go cold, the Leafs will be in tough.

KEY STAT: Bases on Balls.  The Leafs' 226 walks led the league by a mile.  Next closest was Welland with 172.  Ryan Dos Santos and Jordan Castaldo were the club leaders in walks, and no surprise they were also among the leaders in runs scored.  Plate discipline will be key in this series.

ON THE MOUND

Hang on to your wigs.  Toronto Maple Leafs pitching was a total thrill ride this season, and not in a good way.

In 2024, the Leafs were near the bottom of the IBL in terms of hits, walks and earned runs.  Same goes for opponents' batting average and WHIP.  I could go on but I'm trying to be nice.  

Game One starter Angel Castro remains the club's spiritual and psychological leader at least from the listener's perspective.  He comes at teams like a thundercloud of chaos.  Teams never know if they are going to have hell rain down on them, or if they can string a few hits together and slip out of his screaming grasp.  

Game Two starter Wilgenis Alvarado was the 2023 IBL leader in ERA.  The good news is that he has shown flashes of that brilliance in his past couple of starts.

Sam Greene rounds out the postseason rotation and he will go in Game Three.

If the arms can hold back the Baycats' offence, the Leafs stand a great chance to advance.

KEY STAT: Hit by Pitch.  Maple Leafs hurlers plunked opposing batters a league-leading 68 times in 2023.  The next closest was Chatham-Kent with 56 and the rest of the league was way behind.  So maybe there's an intimidation factor that the Leafs could use to their advantage.  These guys are nuts!  Absolute madmen!  Think about your life before you think about swinging! 

THE HISTORY

These two clubs last met in postseason play in 2022.  It was not that long ago and both rosters are relatively the same.

The Leafs swept the Baycats in a quarterfinal series that ended with a dramatic walkoff victory at Christie Pits.

Having won the first two games with ease, the Leafs staged a ninth inning comeback to take Game 3 and sweep the series.  The win propelled them to their second consecutive IBL championship series where they fell to the London Majors.  

The Leafs' last IBL championship was in 2007.  Tonight in Barrie, they begin the quest for the glory that has eluded them since then.

QUARTERFINAL SERIES SCHEDULE (best 3 out of 5)

Game 1

Thursday, August 22 - Toronto at Barrie - 7:35 pm

Toronto starter: Angel Castro

Game 2

Saturday, August 24 - Barrie at Toronto - 7:30 pm

Toronto starter: Wilgenis Alvarado

Game 3 

Sunday, August 25 - Toronto at Barrie - 3:05 pm 

Toronto starter: Sam Greene

Game 4 (if necessary)

Wednesday, August 28 - Barrie at Toronto - 7:30 pm

Toronto starter: TBA

Game 5 (if necessary) 

Thursday, August 29 - Toronto at Barrie - 7:35 pm 

Toronto starter: TBA

Leafs Strut Into the Postseason

Maple Leafs Weekly Recap - August 13 to 18, 2024 

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished off Week 14 of the regular season with a win and two losses, and looked ahead to the 2024 IBL postseason.

Sam Greene shows some of the swagger that the Toronto Maple Leafs brought to an end-of-season run that put them into the postseason with a week to spare.

It feels like a season that has passed by faster than any other.

We are more than halfway through August and the Toronto Maple Leafs have just polished off their 42-game regular season schedule.  Already!  The postseason is about to start.  Are you seeing this!  

It has all wrapped up so quickly that at presstime the Leafs are moving forward but we don't yet know who they will face when the playoffs begin.

Having punched their postseason ticket, this week was pretty calm, no tension.  Fans could take a breather as the boys went on one final road trip before returning home for Fan Appreciation Day.

In Kitchener, the Leafs were rampant, laying a beating on the Kitchener Panthers.  

After that feast was over, the Leafs played out the remaining schedule and dropped a couple of close games against Welland and Chatham-Kent.

In their last 10 games, the Leafs went 6-4 and regained some of the swagger they've been missing.  For the next couple of days, they can kick up their heels and await confirmation of their first round opponents.  At this moment, it could be the Barrie Baycats, London Majors or Guelph Royals.  That's how jammed the middle of the league was this season.  It also speaks to the quality and parity among IBL clubs in 2024.  The Welland Jackfish pulled away and stayed ahead for most of the season to win the pennant.  Behind them, there are a half dozen teams who could make a run at the IBL Championship Series.  A timely hot streak and who knows what could happen.  

The best part of the season is about to begin.  Grab your swag and get ready to descend upon the Pits.  This.  Saturday.  Night.

For now, here is a recap of Week 14 in Toronto Maple Leafs baseball.

Thursday, August 15, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Kitchener Panthers

Johnathan Solazzo launches his team-leading eleventh home run of the season at Kitchener. (image: Panthers Baseball Online)

Last week, representatives of the community non-profit that operates the Kitchener Panthers IBL franchise announced their intention to seek a long-term owner to take over 105-year-old club.

Also last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs strolled into Jack Couch Park as if they owned the place.  They treated their hosts like squatters, kicked them around and won a 10-1 laugher.

Wilgenis Alvarado continued his renaissance on the mound.  He pitched six innings for the Leafs, giving up one run on five hits.  He struck out four and walked one.

His opposite, Danny Garcia, got served and evicted.  He lasted into the fourth inning but got torched for nine earned runs on 10 hits.  He struck out three and walked two before getting the hook.

Third baseman Johnathan Solazzo led the way at the plate.  His three hits on the night included a solo home run, his team-leading eleventh of the season.  Every starter in the lineup notched at least one hit as the Leafs racked up 15 of them.  Solazzo drove in three runs and shortstop Jose Vinicio drove in a pair.  Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos, catcher Justin Marra, centerfielder Connor Lewis and DH Charlie Towers each recorded one RBI.

Leafs relievers Alex Lanigan, Max Lanoue and Julian Tymochko each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve Alvarado's first win of the season.

Toronto 10 15 1

Kitchener 1 6 2

W - Alvarado (1-5, 6.75)

L - Garcia (0-0, 8.10)

BOXSCORE

Saturday, August 17, 2024 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Welland Jackfish

Jose Vinicio punches an RBI single to put the Maple Leafs on the board in Welland. (image: Welland Jackfish YouTube)

Saturday evening, the Toronto Maple Leafs visited Welland Stadium with their postseason status assured.  

The 2024 IBL pennant had been clinched by the hometown Jackfish earlier in the week, so there was slightly less pressure on both teams entering this contest.

Starting pitchers Angel Castro and Teodoro Ortega swapped two scoreless innings to open the game.  Ortega was relieved by Enrique Saldana, who pitched two more scoreless innings.  

In the bottom of the fourth, Castro was roughed up for four runs off of four hits, including a two-run homer by Matteo Porcellato.

In the top of the fifth, Scott Gillespie took over on the mound for Welland, and the Leafs got one run back.  Singles by second baseman Dan Marra and first baseman Mike Cecchetto were followed by an RBI single off the bat of shortstop Jose Vinicio.  The Jackfish led 4-1 through five innings.

Welland added a run in the sixth, Toronto added a run in the seventh, and this somewhat uneventful game ended with a 5-2 FINAL score.  Saldana got the Dub for his two innings of work, while Castro took the El.

Toronto 2 11 1

Welland 5 8 0

W - Saldana (7-2, 3.39)

L - Castro (2-6, 6.03)

S - Mendez (12)

BOXSCORE

Sunday, August 18, 2024 - Chatham-Kent Barnstormers vs Toronto Maple Leafs

The only Maple Leaf to appear in all 42 regular season games this year, Ryan Dos Santos gets a lo five from skipper Rob Butler.

How did we get here already?

Sunday was the regular season finale at Christie Pits.  The park was buzzing with last-day-of-school vibes.  It was Fan Appreciation Day.  Everyone was basking in the warm weather to start the afternoon, and looking ahead to the postseason.

Michael Roudbari and the Toronto Maple Leafs' game-day entertainment squad were on fire.  Throughout the day, they rolled out all the fan-engagement favourites.  Two different food-based races.  Running kids around the bases.  A team poster giveaway.  The fun culminated in the final Freeze race of the season, and once again Mr. Freeze came up just short of victory.  What a run.

The Bushmen were on fire.  Absent the previous Sunday, they returned in full force and full volume.  They delivered championship-calibre heckling throughout the game.  One wonders if the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers have come to grips with the abuse that comes at them when they visit the Angry Confines, or whether they are still baffled by the phenomenon.

Ah, the Barnstormers.  That team of shaggy sluggers from the twangy countryside of southwestern Ontario.  In each of their previous visits to Toronto they had the Leafs' number, and they did so again this day.

Neither club had anything to play for, and they sped through first half of the game as if they were trying to beat out the rainstorm forecasted for the late afternoon.

Starter Sam Greene pitched four scoreless innings for the Leafs.  Alex Lanigan took the mound in the fifth inning and added another zero to the scoreboard.

The Barnstormers threw their entire bullpen out there.  They went through nine different pitchers, starting with Sam McKinlay who pitched the first two innings.  Noah Richardson entered the game in the third and gave up an RBI single to right fielder Marcus Knecht.  That gave the Leafs an early 1-0 lead.

In the sixth inning, the Leafs went deeper into their bullpen as Max Lanoue took the ball.  He ran into trouble and the Barnstormers took advantage.  Four hits and an error put four runs on the board for the visitors, who took a 4-1 lead through six innings.

In the seventh inning, the Barnstormers hit a pair of solo home runs off reliever Greg Carrington.  They had three homers on the day and enjoyed a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.

Bottom seven, the Leafs battled back.  DH Jordan Castaldo singled and took second on a wild pitch.  Catcher Justin Marra drove him home with an RBI single.  Left fielder Ryan Dos Santos drove Marra home with a roaring double, and he ended up on third thanks to a Chatham error.  Knecht hit his second RBI single of the game to score Dos Santos and the Leafs made it a 6-4 game after seven.

What began as a dry and genteel affair turned wet and wild at the end.  A wall of grey clouds rolled over the Pits and a steady drizzle started coming down.  

Julian Valdez pitched a scoreless top of the eighth for the Mapes.

In the bottom of the eighth, centerfielder Connor Lewis got on base with a single.  With two outs, Castaldo socked a double and Lewis turned on the jets.  He came all the way around to score and make it a 6-5 ballgame through eight.

Despite having nothing to play for, both clubs now played hard for the win.  

Julian Tymochko pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.

By this point, half the population of Chatham-Kent had been substituted into the game.  Their final on-field combo worked out, as the Leafs went down in order to end the game.  The 6-5 FINAL saw Eric Pettipiece get the win while Lanoue absorbed his first loss of the season.  

We all absorbed some moisture as we scrambled out of the rain to await the confirmation of the Leafs' first round opponent in the postseason.

Chatham-Kent 6 12 1

Toronto 5 10 2

W - Pettipiece (2-3, 5.40)

L - Lanoue (1-1, 11.20)

BOXSCORE 

The Toronto Maple Leafs complete the 2024 IBL regular season with a record of 17-25.  They finish in seventh place in a nine-team league, 15 games behind the Welland Jackfish.  

The Leafs will now sit back and await the outcomes of some outstanding games, before finding out who their first round postseason opponent will be.

One thing is for certain, the schedule for that series is already taking shape.  Regardless of who they play, the Leafs will host Game 2 of the series on Saturday night:

Saturday August 24 - TBD vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 PM at Christie Pits