Around the Diamond: One win to go; Will Majors go back-to-back?

One win will do it, but the London Majors know putting away the pesky Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be easy. But if they’re successful? The Majors will be back-to-back IBL champs …

Fernando Fernandez was fantastic in Game 5 Tuesday, helping put the Majors one win away from a second straight IBL title. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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One more win. That’s all the London Majors need. If they win Thursday in Toronto – or, failing that, Friday in London – they’ll claim the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) championship title for the second year in a row. Back-to-back titles – after 46 years without one. It sounds nice. But first, they need to win one more game …

If the Majors have learned anything over the last couple of years, it’s that the Toronto Maple Leafs can never be counted out. Their rivals from the 416 have shown much resilience, and played the best teams as tough as anyone, since the league returned from its one-year COVID-19 absence in mid-summer last year.

The Maple Leafs, remember, earned a gritty come-from-behind win in Game 4 of last year’s IBL Final against London, forcing a deciding Game 5. This year, Welland learned for themselves Toronto’s penchant for rising to the challenge, as the Jackfish, who finished in a three-way tie for first (with London and Guelph), were upset by the Maple Leafs, three games to one, in their best-of-five semi-final matchup.

In other words, Toronto is tough to beat. They showed that in Game 4 Sunday, when they beat London’s Owen Boon to tie this series at two games apiece. A pair of back-to-back solo home runs on offense, and a strong pitching performance (Angel Castro, Franklin Hernandez), got the job done in a 2-1 win that turned this series into a fresh best-of-three matchup.

London struck the first blow in this new shortened series, winning 8-3 Tuesday night at Labatt Park to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Majors manager Roop Chanderdat has said that the toughest win is always the one that puts a team away. London’s first chance to do so happens Thursday night – back at Christie Pits in Toronto …

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IBL Playoffs - 2022 Finals: London Majors vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (London leads 3-2 in best-of-seven series)

Game 1: London 12 vs. Toronto 2 (Sept. 13 at Labatt Park)
Game 2: London 6 @ Toronto 9 (Sept. 15 at Christie Pits)
Game 3: London 6 vs. Toronto 3 (Sept. 16 at Labatt Park)
Game 4: London 1 vs. Toronto 2 (Sept. 18 at Christie Pits)
Game 5: London 8 vs. Toronto 3 (Sept. 20 at Labatt Park)
Game 6: Thurs. Sept. 22 (7:30pm at Christie Pits)
Game 7: Fri. Sept. 23 (7:30pm at Labatt Park) (if necessary)

1) Fernando fantastic. There was fist-pumping. Lots of fist-pumping. When Fernando Fernandez bounced off the mound after striking out Marcus Knecht with the bases loaded to end the top of the fifth inning Tuesday, the left-hander was fired up. And rightfully so. He’d gotten out of a jam and maintained London’s 1-0 lead at the time.  

On the night, Fernandez scattered three hits and four walks while striking out five. His lone run he allowed was the leadoff walk he issued to open the sixth inning that came around to score. He didn’t get the win, as the Majors’ offense didn’t erupt until the bottom of that inning, once he’d left the game, but Fernandez did everything that was asked of him, holding Toronto’s offense in check and pitching well enough to give London a chance to win.

The lefty has been a bit of an unsung hero in the latter third of the season. Away from the game for a couple of years, he struggled early in the year, compiling an unsightly 8.71 ERA (10 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings) in his first nine outing with his new team. That mark was a bit bloated due to an outing against Welland where he gave up five in two innings, but there was no denying he was largely ineffective through mid-July. But then he turned it around.

It started with a two-inning appearance in a 12-6 win in Brantford in which he struck out all six batters he faced. And he was a new man after that. Six days later, he got his first start in a Majors uniform and went 5 2/3 scoreless in a 7-0 win over Hamilton. He started again the following week and had a scoreless outing again, this time over five innings in a 7-2 win over Toronto. From July 23 through Tuesday’s outing, Fernandez has posted a dominant 0.85 ERA, allowing just three earned runs in 31 2/3 innings during that span.

Will we see the left-hander again before the IBL Finals ends? It’s possible he could be available if there’s a Game 7 Friday. He’d be working on just two days of rest, but the situation could call for his lefty arm in a key situation.

Will Jose Arias be the finisher? The right-handed ace, who led the IBL in ERA during the regular season, could put the Maple Leafs away with a big pitching performance. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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2) Déjà vu all over again. This story might sound familiar. Ahead by a game in the series, with one win left to clinch, heading to Toronto for the second-to-last game of an IBL Finals series. It’s exactly the scenario the Majors faced last season, as they traveled to Christie Pits ahead 2-1 in the best-of-five final in 2021. This time, London is hoping to rewrite the script and win it without needing a do-or-die final game.

As you may recall, Toronto earned a comeback win in that Game 4 last year, with Dustin Richardson dominating out of the bullpen and holding the Majors scoreless into multiple extra innings before his team’s offense could muster a walk-off run.

That win forced a deciding Game 5, and while the Majors ended up winning that series (breaking a 46-year championship drought in the process), they’d much rather take care of business at Christie Pits this year and not have to play a Game 7.

It was Pedro De Los Santos in Christie Pits last year, and despite not coming away with a win, he nearly got the job done. He certainly left it all on the field. In a 136-pitch outing, the left-hander held the lead until his final batter in the eighth inning. A Sean Reilly RBI single tied things 5-5, and the slugger then got the game-winning hit, a walk-off solo homer in the 13th inning for the 6-5 win.

We certainly may see De Los Santos again in this series. He’s pitched only once so far, suffering the loss in Game 2 at Christie Pits. The lefty gave up six runs on seven hits (and five walks) in just four innings in the start. He won’t get the start Thursday, though. That’ll go to staff ace Jose Arias …

3) Storybook season? Who’d be your preference to start with the chance to win an IBL championship? Probably the team’s best starter – and a top two starter in the league. The Majors have that benefit Thursday, as they’ll throw ace Jose Arias in Toronto in Game 6 looking to clinch the title.

A win would cap a stellar season for the 31-year-old Dominican native. In 14 starts (and one relief appearance) during the regular season, the right-hander went 10-2 with a league-best 1.56 ERA. His 132 strikeouts set a new single season franchise record for the Majors. Seven different times he reached double digit strikeouts in a game. Guelph’s Claudio Custodio (who set a new IBL strikeout record) was the only reason Arias wasn’t named a First-Team All-Star – and perhaps league MVP.

The righty has pitched three times in the postseason, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings overall. He was the Game 3 winner at Labatt Park last Friday, allowing a pair of runs on five hits (and three walks) in London’s 6-3 victory which put them up 2-1 in the series at the time. Arias had six strikeouts in that game and threw 107 pitches.

Now, he’s set for his biggest start of the season – with a chance to lead London to a second straight IBL title.

4) What to know for Game 6 … The Majors have continued their hitting ways during the postseason, and they’ve posted a league-best .351 batting average in their 13 games. Second best? Toronto, with a .315 team batting average (12 games). London has been slowed a bit recently, struggling at times to get the timely hit that is so crucial in the playoffs. But they’ve been able to manufacture runs, and they’re outscoring Toronto 33-19 in the first five games of this series.

As he has for most of the year, Jakob Newton has been rolling at the plate for the Majors. He’s 7-for-20 (.350) with five walks, a home run and eight RBIs in the series heading into Game 6 action. Taylor Wright has gone 8-for-19 (.421) with six walks, four doubles and four runs scored. Robert Mullen, who won the IBL batting title this year, has been a bit quiet in the series, collecting five hits in 19 at-bats (.263) with three RBIs.

Toronto’s Jordan Castaldo has had a hit in every game this series, going 6-for-18 (.333) overall with a home run four runs scored. The Majors have held Marcus Knecht in check, as the slugger went hitless in both Games 4 and 5 and has just three hits in 18 at-bats.

Toronto is a perfect 6-0 at home during the postseason, while the Majors are 2-3 on the road. The home team has won each game of this IBL Finals series so far. The good news for London? They’re also undefeated at home (8-0) during the 2022 playoffs. But as much as they love Labatt Park, they’d rather not return this season. They’d like to get the job done Thursday night …