Newcomer Martini-Wong the Leafs’ hero on a memorable night

By R.J. Konjek

At Christie Pits, baseball season is in full swing.

The home of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been reborn with new sights and sounds.

For gameday ballpark atmosphere, a small village of pop-up tents now surrounds Dominico Field. Each tent offers something: team merchandise, beer and snacks, raffle tickets, or VIP exclusivity (basically, a place in the shade in a park otherwise exposed to the elements).

The park’s booming new sound system is a cut above its semi-reliable predecessor.

The fan experience now includes between-innings trivia contests, on-field races and a chance for youngsters to run the bases. A seventh-inning stretch routine is performed by staff of Innovative Fitness, and an ongoing series of promotions has featured themes like Women in Sport, Bark at the Park and Pride Day.

The club’s new ownership group has invested in these new features and the initial results are positive. The Leafs charge no admission and attendance is not tracked, but crowds have been noticeably larger than in the past few years.

An early highlight was a game that took place on May 22.

After a sluggish start, the 0-4 Leafs hosted the 0-3 Kitchener Panthers. At stake was a chance for one club to reset its season with a win.

All evening, the home side struggled. Facing Cuban pitcher Yadian Martinez, the Leafs were held to just one run over the first seven innings. Things looked dire as they fell behind 7-1 with last place staring them in the face.

Longtime Leafs fans speak of this enigmatic thing called the Christie Mystique. It posits that no lead is ever safe, and the most insurmountable deficit can be overcome. At least once a year, Christie Pits validates the theory by playing host to a comeback victory that defies the odds. This was one such night.

After seven innings, Martinez handed the ball to his bullpen and things immediately fell apart for Kitchener. A calamitous combination of hits, walks, hit batsmen and wild pitches saw the Panthers surrender four runs to make it a 7-5 game going into the ninth.

A crowd that had little to cheer for all night was now on its feet. With each run that crossed the plate, the Leafs players whooped it up and urged each other on. The fan group known as the Bushmen provided cheers and heckles from their perch amid the trees on the slopes beside Christie Street. The ballpark became a cauldron of noise.  The Christie Mystique was taking hold.

Twenty-year-old Keiran Martini-Wong witnessed all of this from a unique spot in the ballpark: the Maple Leafs’ bench. The Etobicoke native is a member of the Leafs’ junior call-up roster. What that means is that he plays full-time for High Park Junior Baseball, but when the Leafs find themselves short of players, he gets a call or text to suit up and join them wherever they may be playing. Martini-Wong made his first-ever appearance for the Leafs in Guelph the week before. This evening, the young player who rides the TTC to Christie Pits made his home debut.

As the ninth inning rolled around, several veteran players were scheduled to bat, and Martini-Wong was aware that he might be called upon to pinch-run. He started stretching on the bench and went for a little jog along the left field line.  

In the bottom of the ninth, the Leafs put two men on base with a walk and a single.  First baseman Jordan Castaldo waged an 11-pitch battle with one of Kitchener’s pitchers before hitting a two-run single to tie the game 7-7.

The Pits was now at full volume, including the Panthers whose outfielders could be heard screaming at their rattled teammates to hold it together. All in vain. Another walk moved Castaldo to second base.

At that moment, Leafs manager Rob Butler turned to Martini-Wong and informed him that he was entering the game as a pinch-runner, representing the winning run.

Before the youngster went to take his place at second, Butler imparted some gentle words of advice: “Don’t get picked off.”

“Yes sir!”

The Panthers continued to unravel. The Leafs’ next batter was hit by a pitch, moving Martini-Wong to third base. The very next pitch bounced away from the catcher and clattered around the backstop. Martini-Wong was off like a shot. He sprinted home, dove headfirst and slid across the plate with the winning run.  

The Leafs won an 8-7 walk-off victory. The junior call-up became the newest hero of Toronto baseball. Martini-Wong was mobbed by his teammates and embraced by the affectionate cheers of the home audience. Leaving the field on a high, he soaked up the atmosphere of a memorable night.

“I’ve never seen something like that before,” he said later. “The fans are absolutely unreal. That was really, really cool.” The Mystique had worked its magic again.

The Maple Leafs’ schedule can be found at www.mapleleafsbaseball.com. 

READ MORE:

• SPORTS: A whole new ball game (Apr. 2024)
• SPORTS: Baseball in full bloom at the Pits (Summer 2023)
• NEWS: Leafs fall in the Finals (Oct. 2022)
• SPORTS: Thrilling walkoff advances Leafs (Sept. 2022)
• ON THE COVER: Solazzo slams, salutes hillsides (Aug. 2022)
• SPORTS: Leafs prepare for postseason push (Aug. 2022)
• SPORTS: Baseball Leafs navigate a new era at Christie Pits (July 2022)
• NEWS: Dominico’s vision changed Toronto sports history (Winter 2022)
• SPORTS: IBL Maple Leafs fall one win short of championship (Fall 2021)