Check Swing: Topolie Turns Back the Clock

Editor's  Note  This was supposed to be posted last week, but in the shuffle of the All-Star Showdown announcements, we held it back.

Photo By Craig Atkin  - Caps_Sports_Photography

In this week's edition of Check Swing, Carlos Verde caught up with Maple Leaf Legend Damon Topolie who was an emergency fill in for the Maple Leafs last weekend.  


More than a few eyebrows were raised around the Intercounty League last weekend when Damon Topolie — age 50, three years removed from his last at-bat — appeared on the boxscores of Toronto’s back-to-back with Kitchener.

Only two of Topolie’s eight teammates in Saturday’s lineup were alive in spring 1995, when he made his IBL debut with the long-defunct Stratford Hillers.

But when Leafs GM-slash-closer Dustin Richardson called, needing a bat in the lineup, Topolie answered.

“Richardson reached out and said they were light on bodies for a three-in-three weekend,” laughed Topolie from his home in North Bay. “It was an opportunity to suit up one more time, and having my kids see me on TV was cool — they’d only heard the stories of me participating in the IBL, and now they got to see it.”

There was no Natural-esque, storybook walk-off for Topolie, who went 0-for-6 with two walks and two strikeouts at the dish while playing first base in both games.

As for the future, he is clear that his priorities are different now than in the 90s — when he broke into the league with Stratford, rooming frat-style with teammates — or even five years ago running the Leafs.

“The future,” he pondered. “It’s up to the team, if they need my help, I’m a team guy — I have been doing other things with my life, (and) can’t commit 100 per cent, but if they need a guy I’m there.”

Since departing the Leafs at the end of 2022, Topolie has stayed busy between work in IT sales and spending time with his young family — though baseball remains a core piece of the puzzle.

“I relocated myself back to my hometown, North Bay, (and) am building up the Rep program as we have good facilities,” explained the former Leafs manager. “I’m in the GTA once a week with work, and am still heavily involved with the HPP Tigers out of Mississauga working with their catchers.”

Last Saturday’s home game allowed ‘Tops’ the chance to return to Christie Pits for something resembling a proper send-off; his affiliation with Toronto ended with an unceremonious press release early in 2023, leaving a sour taste for many.

“It wasn’t the ending I wanted with the Leafs, but thankfully I had the chance to come back and play this weekend,” reflected Topolie. “There were things behind the curtain that were unfortunate, but I’m glad to see where the team is at now.

“I was loyal to the league, I wanted to leave it in a better place than I found it — and it’s great to see what new ownership is doing, and that people are still going to Christie Pits to watch baseball.”

If Topolie does suit up again for the Leafs this season, there are milestones within reach: He needs two RBI to reach the 500 mark on his career, and is a single homer away from 23rd on the league’s all-time list.

If, however, this past weekend was indeed the sunset on Topolie’s IBL career, what a career it was: Playing in four decades, collecting 871 hits and winning several championships.

Godspeed up north, Tops.