Intercounty Baseball at Christie Pits
Christie Pits for Summer Baseball and Sports Fun
Since the Blue Jays are playing Gosh Awful baseball with confiscatory prices for everything at a game including the tickets , my Tennis buddy and I decided to take in a Toronto Maple Leafs Intercounty Baseball game with the Kitchner Rangers at Christie Pits. AccuWeather promised and delivered a sunny afternoon but then partially reneged with a cool and clouding evening.
With the change in weather a little Buyer’s Regret and doubt started to creep into our pre-game chatter – “this game will be okay if there are not a slew of errors[there were 2], perhaps a home run [there were 3] and more than one double play [there were 2]”. And as the photos below testify, Intercounty Baseball at the Pits delivers an entertaining show.
Best Play of Game for Kitchner Panthers
Rally snuffing double play. 
Kitchner Panthers have been playing Intercounty Baseball in Southwestern Ontario since 1919. So this hundredeth year anniversary team has designs on the League Championship.
But the problem is that the Barrie Baycats have won the Championship the last 5 seasons in a row. Both clubs are off to a good start this year [5-1] as June begins But to add insult to injury in three of the last for Championship Series, Barrie has beaten Kitchner
Based on this game, the Panthers showed some savvy skills on the basepaths. Two steals from first early in the game clearly signalled running prowess. But the clincher was a nifty double steal to put runners in scoring position which the Panthers subsequently cashed in on.
Based on this game the Panthers certainly could make contact with the baseball:
Best Play of Game for Toronto Maple Leafs
Safe at home 
Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club is a comparative newcomer to Intercounty Baseball Leaue joining in 1969. The Maple Leafs have had 8 championship seasons in their 50 years of playing. They have also seen 4 players make the Majors including Pete Orr, Rich and Rob Butler and Paul Spoljaric the latter 3 playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Maple Leafs have some talented players like last year’s League MVP catcher, Justin Marra. This year, Marra is leading the league in home runs with a 440 batting average and is second in RBIs with teammate Marcus Knect. On the pitching side Justin Cicatello has a sizzling 1.50 ERA for the start of the season.
In 2018 J. Marra was voted the MVP player in Intercounty Baseball. Having a strong hitter and defensive catcher is a big plus:
1st to home base running. This was heads up play as a bauble in the Panther outfield presented the opportunity
Keeping signals straight
Justin Cicatello is a good pitcher with a very solid 2.50 ERA as evidence and a game winning home run as a bonus.
Christie Pits is not just the Starting Point for the annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade or the site of the infamous Christie Pits riot of 1933; but is also a great largely free city sporting venue. For example, the Pits hosts free Intercounty Baseball games twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday weather permitting from early May through to the first week in August. There maybe playoff games if the Maple Leafs [sitting at 4-5], make the cut. But Christie Pits also hosts lots of Sporting activities including Little League baseball, pickup basketball and even outdoor table tennis and kite flying.
There was a raucous Girl’s Little League baseball game going on just yards away from Center Field Fence of Panthers vs Maple Leafs game. But as you can see your photographer was late to catch the thrill packed conclusion [based on the loud choruses of cheering].
But there is all sorts of recreational action taking place thrughout the day at Christie Pits. Table Tennis anyone?
Ditto just across the way. There also was a Boy’s League game that shared some of the excitement of the girls game; but again your trusted photographer only caught the post game walk-away.However, earlier your photographer did not miss the action on the Christie Pits basketball courts:
The League Playoffs are in fullswing – see if Maple Leafs make it past powerhouse Kitchner Rangers.
Alas, the Baseball Maple Leafs are as good as the 2019-2020 Maple Leafs