A handful for Kitchener
Red-hot Majors take on Panthers with five-game lead in the IBL standings
KITCHENER — Roof Chanderdat’s London Majors rolled into Jack Couch Park Thursday night with an 18-1 record — and with a five-game lead on the Kitchener Panthers in the Intercounty Baseball League.
But Panthers manager Dave teBoekhorst insists he’s not watching the standings.
“I think we got way too into a pennant race last year, and I think it affected us in a negative way. I just want us to be playing good baseball going into the playoffs,” he said.
“Whether we’re third or fourth or first, it doesn’t really matter.”
The Majors, who beat the Panthers out of first place in the final game of the season last year, have been riding the dominant pitching of two import hurlers, Dominican Luis Sanchez and Brazil’s Murilo Gouvea, who lead the league in wins and starter’s ERA, respectively.
Earlier this season, Chanderdat became the most winning skipper in team history. With 12 years in the IBL, he’s also the most winning manager still working in the league.
The Majors are chasing their first Intercounty championship since 1975, the Panthers want their first title since 2001. But, for most of the past decade, they’ve both chased two dynasties — the Brantford team that won six championships in a row, and the Barrie team that has won the past three.
“To win, you’ve got to take down Barrie. And that’s tough, because they do it all,” said Chanderdat. “I want to win a title, there’s no doubt about that … but unfortunately, we’ve run into two dynasties.”
The London formula has been a reliable one for the Majors under Chanderdat — they focus on pitching and defence, and play a faster version of the game compared to Kitchener’s approach, which is built around the home run.
But in the small confines of Jack Couch Park, where the outfield corners are just 320 feet from home plate, home runs are naturally a big part of the game. Chanderdat says his Majors can’t try outslug the Panthers in their own park.
“It’s tough, because it does change the game. I’m not a fan of the short dimensions,” he said. “Here, you can’t get away with much, because those fly balls are home runs. We can’t change our approach.”
On the other side of the dugout, the Panthers say they know the Majors game plan, and aren’t changing theirs.
“They’re the same old London. They bunt, they run, they’re fast,” teBoekhorst said, of the 2017 version of the Majors.
Once again, both teams are chasing the Barrie Baycats, owners of a perfect 20-0 record this season and firmly entrenched in first place.
“I think Barrie is on a whole other level. Right now, the battle is for second place,” said designated hitter Sean Reilly, leading the league in home runs and RBIs.
London and Kitchener have met up only one other time this season, which ended in a 10-8 win for the Majors.
But Reilly argues that game wasn’t a true measure of how the teams stacked up.
“It was probably the worst officiated game I’ve been a part of in my 20-year career,” he said. “So I wouldn’t say the score really meant much.”
For a full story from Thursday’s game, visit therecord.com. The Panthers don’t play at home again until next Tuesday and Thursday, when they host Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. for both games.