Revenge.
It’s what the Intercounty Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs went looking for in their home opener against the Hamilton Cardinals on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Dominico Field at Christie Pits.
And it’s precisely what the home team got, taking the boots to the same Cards squad that ended Toronto’s title aspirations a season ago. The Maple Leafs opened their 47th season by pounding out 16 hits en route to a 13-1 thrashing of Hamilton, which came out on top in a sudden-death playoff game between the teams when they last met in late July.
“Especially being a new group coming together, to get a win, get a little camaraderie going, I think, hopefully, will set the sail right for our team,” Leafs pitcher Brett Van Pelt said before going three innings without allowing a hit, while collecting four strikeouts in his debut with the team.