After tricky stretch, Majors back to winning ways
Around the Diamond: Janisse locking it down; Seven Majors headed to IBL All-Star Game; Springer joins the pitching mix; Majors’ bats need to be more disciplined. Our news & notes …
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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Three wins in three days will always cure what ails you. And that’s precisely what the London Majors did last weekend, snapping a 2-5 stretch with a trio of wins: a 1-0 pitchers’ duel against Kitchener at home Friday; a 7-4 road win over Guelph Saturday; and a 10-6 victory in Christie Pits over Toronto Sunday.
That put the Majors back into good positioning in the standings, sitting in second place at 17-10 entering action Wednesday night (July 16). The weekend sweep was especially important after a tough stretch of games where the team lost five of seven, including a pair to the Barrie Baycats (16-10), who have climbed the standings and are right on London’s tail, a mere half-game back.
The Hamilton Cardinals, too, have been surging lately, having won five contests in a row. Their ace pitcher, Owen Boon, the former longtime Major, is coming off an impressive no-hitter last week, and the team from the Steel City is hot right now – just in time for a home-and-home series against the second-place Majors.
London and Hamilton will square off Thursday in Hamilton and Friday in the Forest City. And Boon is sure to pitch one of those contests, a much-anticipated matchup against his former team, with which he won two IBL championships back in 2021 and 2022. Following those two contests, the Majors will send seven players to the all-star game festivities – in Hamilton – on Sunday …
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Thursday (July 17, 7:35pm) @ Hamilton Cardinals (Probable starter: Victor Payano)
Friday (July 18, 7:35pm) vs. Hamilton Cardinals (Probable starter: TBD)
Sunday (July 20) - IBL All-Star game in Hamilton
Tuesday (July 1, 6:05pm) @ Chatham-Kent Barnstormers (Probable starter: TBD)
(Photo: Isaiah Bergsma).
1) Locking it down. In the absence of last year’s closer down the stretch, Tyler Gillies, third-year right-hander Skylar Janisse has stepped up and is having his best season yet in a Majors uniform. And his reliability was on full display last weekend, when he closed out each of London’s three wins.
A workhorse of an arm, Janisse was first called upon Friday to preserve a 1-0 lead in a game started by Travis Keys. The 31-year-old locked it down for his sixth save of the year. On Saturday, after the Majors scored three in the ninth to break a tie in Guelph, Janisse was back on the mound to secure his seventh save. And on Sunday, the righty put in some overtime, working two innings in Toronto to cap off an impressive three-save weekend.
“Incredible,” said Majors manager Roop Chanderdat. “I can’t run out of words to describe Skylar. “He’s been really good. If you really look at the numbers, he’s having an MVP year.”
Those numbers include a 5-1 record, a 2.73 ERA, eight saves and 24 strikeouts in 17 appearances (23 innings). He’s already eclipsed his inning total from last season, and he’s one appearance shy of his total in 2023. But Chanderdat says he’s more than capable of handling a heavy workload out of the bullpen.
“He takes care of his arm. He’s smart. He’s a veteran guy, and he knows his arm, he knows his body,” the manager said. “And he’s been a reliever for a very long time. Watching him go about his business, from year one to year two to this year, it’s been way different. He’s put in the work, and he’s prepared.
“I’m so happy for him that he made the all-star team. Those are good recognitions for guys like that, who have been around the game for a long time. He’s our pulse. He brings so much energy and a lot of positive vibes to our team.”
Majors closer Skylar Janisse celebrates a save in a 1-0 win over Kitchener Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
2) Shining stars. Six other Majors players will join Janisse at the IBL’s all-star game, set for Sunday (July 20) in Hamilton. Leading the way is catcher Eduardo de Oleo, who is enjoying a top-shelf campaign. The backstop is batting .330 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs heading into action Thursday.
“That’s a no-brainer,” Chanderdat said. “He’s having a great year. He’s a cog in our lineup.”
Outfielder Toby Simmons is also heading to Hamilton for the showcase game. In his rookie season, he’s batting .315 with a team-leading 27 runs (fifth in IBL), as well as three homers and 17 RBIs in his first 27 games. In addition to his hitting prowess, Chanderdat says, “I think he’s the best defensive centrefielder in the league.”
Victor Payano will start on the mound for the IBL’s South squad, which also includes all-stars from the Chatham Barnstormers, Welland Jackfish and Brantford Red Sox. The left-handed ace has posted a 2.31 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings.
London’s No. 2 arm, Travis Keys, will also represent the Majors’ pitching staff. He’s gone 3-1 with an impressive 1.78 ERA in nine starts thus far. Other position players heading to the game include designated hitter Byron Reichstein and third baseman Josh Niles.
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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3) Adding an arm. Majors fans saw a new (albeit familiar) arm on the mound in recent games, as left-hander Alex Springer recently made his return from injury to get into a couple contests out of the bullpen. The results, in particular during his outing Sunday in Toronto, weren’t pretty, but it’s the bigger picture that remains more important – that Springer could serve as a difference-making pitcher later in the year.
“He’s going to be an impactful pitcher, for sure, whether it’s out of the bullpen or as a starter,” Chanderdat said. “He’s had good success in our league, including against top-end teams. I really like his stuff, and I like his composure.”
As a junior-aged player, Springer spent time with the Majors each of the previous two seasons. Last year, in just five outings (two starts), the lefty pitched to a 1.68 ERA in 16 innings, striking out 17 along the way. He has the potential to be an asset in the Majors’ pitching staff.
“He’s 100 percent healthy. We haven’t rushed him. We want to slowly ramp him up and he’ll catch up somewhere down the line,” Chanderdat said. “[On Sunday], he had a little rust. He had some walks, he left a couple balls up. But it’s something to build off. I wasn’t going in thinking he’s going to go three no-hit innings. We’re going to build him up slowly as we go along.”
4) Patience is a virtue. The Majors have been more active on the basepaths than they were each of the last two seasons. They’ve got more speed to do so (see Francisco Fajardo and Toby Simmons). They’ve executed more hit-and-runs than perhaps any team in the league. The problem is, they haven’t been getting on base enough.
Despite a solid .286 team batting average that ranks third in the IBL (though has declined since earlier in the year), the Majors’ on-base percentage of .350 ranks third-last in the league, ahead of only Kitchener and Guelph. That’s a stark contrast.
The main culprit? A lack of walks. London has drawn a league-low 82 free passes thus far. That’s fewer than half the total of the first-place Welland Jackfish. And it has impacted London’s run total. The good news? The Majors’ strikeout numbers aren’t awful. They’re by no means lost at the plate.
What they do need to cut down on, though, is swinging at bad pitches, especially early in the count, which has resulted in putting balls in play that are easy outs. As a whole, this Majors squad needs to better work the count, make pitchers throw more pitches, and focus on getting into more hitters’ counts. (And take walks if they’re given).
Around the Diamond: Janisse locking it down; Seven Majors headed to IBL All-Star Game; Springer joins the pitching mix; Majors’ bats need to be more disciplined. Our news & notes …