MAPLE LEAFS BEST LEAGUE-LEADING MAJORS
Written by: Olivia Byrne
LONDON, Ont. — Heading into Friday on a three-game losing streak, the Toronto Maple Leafs were desperate to turn things around. With Yordan Manduley and Brando Leroux both injured, beating the first-place London Majors would be no easy task, but somehow, Toronto managed to come away with a 10-7 victory.
The Maple Leafs put opposing starter Victor Payano to work, racking his pitch count up to 29 in just the 1st inning. Marcus Knecht, the leadoff hitter tonight, came back from 0-2 and worked the count for a walk on nine pitches.
Toronto was taking long at-bats, setting the tone of the game early on. Although no runs would come out of the inning, the Maple Leafs were ready to strike in the 2nd.
Matt Brandt, the first batter of the inning, kicked things off with a double into left field, bringing Yolki Pena to the plate. On the second pitch he saw, Pena hit a hard fly ball into left field, sending Brandt around the bases and in to score.
Up 1-0, Spenser Ross kept the momentum going by hitting a single into left field, resulting in Pena advancing to third. Having gone fully around the order, Knecht was back up at the plate once again. On a 2-2 count, Ross stole second. Knecht would ultimately strike out, bringing up Yasiel Puig.
Puig currently leads the CBL in home runs, with 16. Right behind him is Majors second baseman Cristian Inoa, with 14.
Not wanting to risk furthering their deficit, Payano intentionally walked Puig before he even stepped into the box.
With the bases loaded and two out, JJ Dutton was up. After fouling back the first pitch he saw, Dutton would take two outside. Eventually, the Leafs center fielder would take a walk, bringing home Pena to make it 2-0 for Toronto.
Next at the plate was Crix Taveras, who immediately got drilled on the back, prompting a long and heated discussion between the two sides. While Taveras walked to 1st, Ross trotted to home, bringing the score to 3-0. Dennis Dei Baning would come up, and fly out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 2nd, London got one back when Starling Joseph hit a solo shot out of left field. The Majors would cut their deficit to 3-2 in the 3rd, when Inoa hit an RBI single into center field.
With a one-run lead heading into the 4th, Dutton hit a single into center field for the first man on of the inning. After facing three pitches, Taveras hit one that flew into right field and rolled back to the fence. Dutton would easily come in to score, giving Toronto a 4-2 lead.
The Maple Leafs would score another run in the 5th, when Knecht hit a one-out RBI single to bring home Pena, who was on third. A double play then caused the half-inning to end, and Payano’s day was done, topping out at 109 pitches.
Still trying to claw back, London tacked on another run in the bottom of the 6th. Tucker Zdunich doubled on a hard fly ball, bringing home Eduardo De Oleo to make it 5-3.
The 7th inning was where Toronto really found their footing. Pena was the first batter of the inning, and reached safely after the ball fell from the glove of London’s shortstop. After seeing the first pitch, eight-hole hitter Drew Howard ripped one into left field for a single.
With Leroux out due to injury, Howard is Toronto’s second baseman for the time being. The 23-year-old is a pitcher, who hasn’t thrown all year due to injury. Howard has spent some time at second base, playing in the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship.
Ross squared a bunt on the first pitch he saw, dropping it almost right in front of the plate. London’s pitcher, Daniel Orfaly, reached to grab it and made a weak throw to first base. As the ball drifted further into right field, Pena came home to make it a 6-3 game.
With the top of the order up once more, Knecht struck out on five pitches, bringing up Puig. On the first pitch he saw, the Leafs outfielder blasted one past the left field fence and into the grass beyond Labatt Park, bringing the score to 9-3.
Down by five runs, things seemed just about over for the Majors, but they weren’t going down without a fight. In the bottom of the 7th, Maikol Escotto hit a solo shot on the fourth pitch he saw, sending the ball beyond center field. Trent Lenihan tripled, and Inoa drove him home with an RBI single to make it 9-5.
In a now back-and-forth affair, Toronto got another run back when Howard singled to right field, bringing home Pena, who had just doubled.
Things got dicey for the Maple Leafs in the bottom of the 8th, when Escotto hit a hard drive down the left field line, bringing two runs in to score. Immediately after, the third out was recorded, and Toronto headed into the 9th with a chip on their shoulder.
Luis Florentino was brought in to get the save, and had a 1-2-3 inning, keeping the final score at 10-7.
UP NEXT: The Maple Leafs head home to take on the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers on August 15. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.