Majors open season with victory

The London Majors kicked off the 2024 Intercounty Baseball League season with a 7-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Domenico Field in Toronto.

Wilgenis Alvarado started the game on the mound for Toronto and held London off the scoreboard in the three innings he pitched before handing the ball over to veteran IBL right-hander Marek Deska in the 4th. Starling Joseph drove a ground-ball single up the middle to lead off the 4th inning. That was followed by a base on balls to Byron Reichstein and a single to left by Cleveland Brownlee. Joseph scored the game's first run when Kaiden Cardoso reached base on an RBI fielder's choice. Tommy Reyes-Cruz walked to load the bases and Andrew Lawerence was hit by a pitch which scored Reichstein with the second London run of the ball game.  

London struck for a single run in the top of the 5th inning when the first three batters, Gibson Krzeminski, Starling Joseph and Byron Reichstein were all walked by Toronto reliever Julian Valdez to load the bases. Krzeminski then scored when Kaiden Cardoso reached base on an error by the Toronto second baseman. 

The starting pitcher for London was Victor Payano who kept Toronto off the scoresheet until the bottom of the 5th inning when they scored three runs to make the score after five innings 3-3. Those three runs were scored on singles from Connor Lewis, and Jordan Castaldo, a double by Jesse Hodges and a London error. The Majors moved back into the lead in the top of the 6th inning when Andrew Lawerence walked and stole second base with Victor Plaz reaching on an error moving Lawrence to third from where he scored on a Gibson Krzeminski sacrifice fly. The second run of the inning made the score 5-3 London when Byron Reichstein doubled down the right-field line to score Victor Plaz. Toronto tied the score 5-5 in the bottom of the 8th. Jesse Hodges singled and Ryan Dos Santos doubled in that rally.

The score remained tied until the top of the 9th. Cleveland Brownlee led off with a single to shallow right field. Tommy Reyes-Cruz doubled home pinch-runner Champ Garner. Andrew Lawrence's single and a Toronto error scored Reyes-Cruz to make the score 7-5. Toronto threatened to score in the bottom of the 9th, but London reliever Jose Arias shut them down to get the win. The Majors scored seven runs on 10 hits and four Maple Leafs errors. Victor Payano, Daniel Gore, Travis Keyes and Jose Arias shared time on the hill for the Majors, holding Toronto to five runs on eight hits and three London errors.

The next game for the Majors will be their home opener on Friday, May 17th at Labatt Park when they will take on the defending IBL Champion Welland Jackfish at 7:35 start time. Tickets can be purchased online at londonmajors.com. 

About the London Majors

The London Majors are a proud member of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL), the top-level summer league in Canada. Established in 1919, the IBL boasts ex-professional and elite NCAA college baseball players. The Majors’ most recent success was winning back-to-back league titles in 2021 and 2022. The team plays at historic Labatt Memorial Park, the world’s oldest continually operating baseball grounds. For more information, visit www.londonmajors.com or follow the Majors on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok at @Londonmajors