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169-548: Chatham has won five CCBL championships, most recently in 1998, when they defeated the Wareham Gatemen in the championship series. In 1923 the Cape Cod Baseball League was formed and included four teams: Chatham, Falmouth , Osterville , and Hyannis . This early Cape League operated through the 1939 season and disbanded in 1940, due in large part to the difficulty of securing ongoing funding during

338-576: A 1.20 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 67.1 innings. Along with their wealth of pitching, the 2003 Gatemen boasted the league's hits leader in CCBL Hall of Fame third baseman Warner Jones. Jones returned to Wareham in 2004 and led the league again in hits, as well as in doubles and extra-base hits. CCBL Hall of Fame closer Justin Masterson went 3–1 for the 2005 Gatemen, recording 10 saves with a 1.15 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. The team experienced

507-488: A 3–0 record with a 0.45 ERA, and George Greer , who batted .349 and led the league in doubles and triples. The star-studded 1966 Chatham team returned Saradnik, Baird and Greer, and added another three CCBL Hall of Famers: catcher Tom Weir, who led the league with a .420 batting average, all-star hurler Joe Jabar , who went 7–0 with a 1.53 ERA and took home the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts native Tom Grieve . Drafted out of high school in

676-482: A 4–0 record with a 1.40 ERA in 30 innings, striking out 35 while walking only five. The 2020 CCBL season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic . 2021 Firebird Chase DeLauter tied for tops in the CCBL with nine home runs and claimed the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect award. In 2022, the trio of Orleans moundsmen Bryce Warrecker, Josh Allen and Chris Clark combined to no-hit Chatham , with starter Warrecker,

845-484: A 6-foot-6 southpaw who went 9–0 with a 1.07 ERA and eight complete games, and was the league's Outstanding Pitcher. The team ousted Hyannis in the playoffs, but was shut down by Wareham in the title series. Lyons skippered the Athletics for seven seasons, with the team qualifying for postseason play in six of the seven years. The A's of the late 1970s featured Jim Lauer, who set a CCBL record with three home runs in

1014-411: A 7–0 record with a 1.34 ERA, and being named the league's Outstanding Pitcher. Currier was joined on the staff by CCBL Hall of Famer Derrick DePriest, who did not allow an earned run in 22.2 innings of work, and was named the league's Outstanding Relief Pitcher. The early 2000s saw a pair of CCBL Hall of Fame relievers take the mound for Chatham. Hard-throwing righty David Bush posted a 0.84 ERA and led

1183-466: A clutch home run robbery by Gatemen right fielder Isaac Collins led Wareham to the title-clinching 9–3 victory. Third baseman Austin Shenton hit .522 with three home runs and 12 RBI to claim postseason MVP honors, and the video of Collins' grab made national headlines and was the top play on ESPN 's SportsCenter . The crown was Wareham's eighth in the modern era, and the team was the first to sweep

1352-516: A colossal shot off the right-centerfield bandstand at Eldredge Park. The 2009 season saw the team change its nickname, following an agreement between the Cape League and Major League Baseball which stated that if a CCBL team shared a nickname with an MLB team, the team would have to obtain its uniforms through a Major League Baseball Properties-licensed vendor. Wanting to maintain its independence and longstanding relationship with local vendors,

1521-505: A day-night playoff doubleheader , Orleans once again met Bourne for the title. Game 1 at Eldredge Park was scoreless going into the bottom of the ninth when the speedy Burriss scored the game's only run in dramatic walk-off fashion by tagging up on a foul pop. The Braves proceeded to clobber the Cards in Game 2 at Bourne by a score of 10–1. Orleans answered early in Game 3, scoring nine runs in

1690-466: A disputed forfeit ruling, and the league voted to admit Wareham to replace Barnstable for the second half of the season. Wareham has been a member of the Cape League ever since. Wareham made a deep playoff run in 1957, beginning with a first round defeat of Otis Air Force Base , two games to one in the Upper Cape playoffs. In the series, Wareham rode the stellar pitching of Tom Eccleston, who threw

1859-547: A formal collegiate league. Teams began to recruit college players and coaches from an increasingly wide geographic radius. The league was originally composed of ten teams, which were divided into Upper Cape and Lower Cape divisions. The Orleans team was dubbed the Orleans Cardinals , and joined Harwich , Chatham , Yarmouth and a team from Otis Air Force Base in the Lower Cape Division. Orleans

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2028-556: A formal collegiate league. Teams began to recruit college players and coaches from an increasingly wide geographic radius. The league was originally composed of ten teams, which were divided into Upper Cape and Lower Cape divisions. Wareham joined Falmouth , Cotuit , Bourne and Sagamore in the Upper Cape Division. Wareham's team was skippered by Wareham's "Mr. Baseball", CCBL Hall of Famer Steve Robbins. Robbins had played baseball for Wareham High School and later in

2197-400: A four-hitter as the club scratched out a 4–2 victory to take a commanding series lead. Orleans completed the sweep on the road as Tucker posted his second win of the series, fanning 13 Cotuit batters before Roy Bruninghaus relieved him with one out in the ninth, to nail down a 6–3 Orleans win that clinched the title. For the first time since joining the revived league, Orleans failed to reach

2366-539: A home crowd in Game 2, getting a homer and a pair of singles from Stan Wilcox on the way to a 5–3 victory that secured the club's seventh CCBL crown in 11 years. CCBL Hall of Famer Art Quirk posted a remarkable 9–0 record in 1958 with a 1.12 earned run average as a pitcher for Orleans, while also leading the league with a .475 batting average . Quirk went on to play in the majors for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators . In 1959, Orleans reached

2535-661: A homer in his first at-bat for the Cardinals. Though the younger Fisk played in only a handful of games for the Cardinals, he made a lasting impression. Carlton was drafted in 1967 by the hometown Boston Red Sox , where he was a perennial all-star throughout the 1970s In 2000, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York . In 1967, the CCBL All-Star Game

2704-464: A key RBI to propel the Gatemen to victory and even the series. The Gatemen sent Sprowl to the mound for Game 3 and came away with a 4–3 victory, but could only manage three hits in Game 4 as Chatham shut out the Gatemen, 5–0, to knot the series again. Wareham took the exciting back-and-forth Game 5, with Sprowl coming on in relief on short rest to close out the A's and secure Wareham's first CCBL title of

2873-436: A league mark by crushing three home runs in a single game; his feat demonstrated power to all fields as his trio of clouts against Falmouth left the yard in left, center, and right fields respectively. Chatham boasted the league MVP in 1984, as CCBL Hall of Famer Joey Cora was the A's all-star second baseman, batting .373 and leading the league with 28 stolen bases. The 1985 A's returned to the league championship series behind

3042-552: A league record with 48 stolen bases, and was West Division All-Star Game MVP for Wareham in 1993. Wareham's 1996 team boasted league MVP Kevin Nicholson , saves co-leader Clint Chrysler, and CCBL Hall of Famer Lance Berkman , who led the league in batting with a .352 mark. The 1998 Gatemen featured a pair of star moundsmen in CCBL Hall of Famer Ben Sheets and the co-winner of the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award, Phil Devey . In 2000, skipper Mike Roberts , who had managed

3211-504: A league title. Lyons' 1982 A's finished the regular season in fourth place with a pedestrian 20–21–1 record, having slipped into the playoffs on the final day of the season with a victory over Orleans . The team starred future major league all-star Kevin Seitzer , who hit .291 on the season and .677 in the playoffs, slugger Billy Merrifield, who clouted eight homers on the season, team MVP Brett Elbin, all-star centerfielder Greg Schuler, and

3380-429: A perfect game by just two walks and benefited from outfielder Glenn Fernandez's home run-robbing catch at the fence of a smash by Kettleers' slugger Greg Vaughn . The Cardinals won their first league championship of the modern era in 1986. The team featured slugger Gary Alexander, who hit .313 with 12 home runs, and ace hurlers and future major leaguers Jeff Conine and Mike Ignasiak . Led by manager John Castleberry,

3549-534: A playoff drought from 2003 to 2009, qualifying for postseason play only once in seven seasons when the 2006 team reached the finals and was downed by Y-D . Longtime Gatemen President and General Manager John Wylde died in February 2009 after a battle with liver cancer. The Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Famer was the force behind the Gatemen for 25 years. In the early 80s, the Wareham Gatemen franchise

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3718-418: A position he held from 1962 to 1968. Silva's 1927 Wareham team finished with a respectable 17–18 record, good for third among the five clubs. Wareham was forced to drop out of the league for the 1929 season due to lack of funds, then returned to the league in 1930 and remained in the league through the 1932 season. Wareham won the Cape League championship in 1930, finishing two games ahead of Chatham to take

3887-527: A rematch of the 2006 title series. The Gatemen took Game 1 in Yarmouth by a score of 5–4 on a go-ahead ninth inning home run by catcher Tyler Ross. Y-D pitching shut down Wareham's attack in Game 2 at Spillane Field, and the Red Sox emerged with a 5–1 win to even the series. The decisive Game 3 at Y-D was an all-time classic. The Red Sox looked to be closing in on a championship, leading 5–2 as the game moved to

4056-479: A separate club. Pete Herman remained with the Chatham team as its player-manager in 1930 and 1931, leading the team on an exciting stretch run and second-place finish just two games behind pennant-winning Wareham in 1930. Chatham withdrew from the league prior to the 1932 season as a result of the town's decision not to appropriate funds for the team. Throughout the rest of the 1930s, Chatham's town team competed in

4225-417: A single game against Hyannis , Harvard University slugger and CCBL Hall of Famer Mike Stenhouse , who starred for Chatham from 1977 through 1979, and longtime major league hurler and CCBL Hall of Famer Walt Terrell , who went 9–4 with a 2.20 ERA in 1979 while working a league record 122.2 innings on the season. Lyons again skippered Chatham to a first-place finish in 1980 before succumbing to Falmouth in

4394-560: A single team won both halves and was declared overall champion. In the other two split seasons (1933 and 1935), a postseason playoff series was contested between the two half-season champions to determine the overall champion. * Regular seasons split into first and second halves are designated as (A) and (B). (*) - Indicates co-recipient Italics - Indicates All-Star Game Home Run Hitting Contest participant (1988 to present) (*) - Season count excludes 2020 CCBL season cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic . The Firebirds were one of

4563-413: A spinner along the third base line that A's pitcher Zane Carlson bobbled as Butler slid home with the series-winning run. Wareham second baseman Aaron Hill , who batted .400 in the postseason, took home playoff MVP honors. Farris' 2002 Gatemen returned 2001 MVP Murton, who was out with a broken hand during the first half of the season. He returned to hit .400 in 16 games in the second half, and also won

4732-492: A spot in the finals by defeating Falmouth in the semi-final series via consecutive shutouts, 1–0 and 2–0. Wareham faced Brewster in the championship series, and continued its shutout streak in Game 1 at Clem Spillane Field by blanking the Whitecaps, 7–0, behind a complete game gem by Brian McNichol . Brewster put up a better fight in Game 2 and the teams went into the 13th inning knotted at 3–3. Wareham put across two runs in

4901-560: A stolen base and a Cotuit error, then scored on a Brian Garrett single. Smith came on in relief of Duda in the bottom of the frame, and set down the Kettleers in order to clinch the series for the A's and secure Chatham's third CCBL title, with Duda taking home playoff MVP honors. Midway through the 1993 season, manager Rich Hill left to take a head coaching job at the University of San Francisco , and assistant coach John Schiffner took

5070-521: A three-run homer by Jim Gage in a 13–5 rout. Game 2 at home was another Orleans romp, as hurler Bill McCrae tossed a three-hitter in a 12–1 win. Orleans was down on the road, 6–5, in the eighth inning of Game 3, when Peterson brought in Bruninghaus to relieve starter John Linnell. Bruninghaus escaped the jam, and proceeded to tie the game himself with a homer in the top of the ninth. He went on to no-hit Sagamore for three more innings, while Orleans put

5239-539: A three-year league all-star who threw a no-hitter for Orleans on July 4, 1965. Yankus later managed Orleans from 1974 to 1980. The 1965 season also saw CCBL Hall of Famer John Awdycki lead the league with a .407 batting average. In 1966, University of New Hampshire star Calvin Fisk played first base for Orleans. Near the end of the season, Calvin's younger brother Carlton Fisk joined him in Orleans, and proceeded to belt

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5408-406: A two-hit shutout in Game 2, and Bruce Reed, who gave up just five hits and helped himself with a homer in the decisive Game 3 victory. The win sent Wareham to the Upper Cape finals against the heavily favored Cotuit Kettleers . Led by the hitting of brothers Bruce and Glenn Reed, Wareham routed Cotuit, 14–2, in Game 1 at Lowell Park , then with Bruce on the mound at home in Game 2, Wareham completed

5577-536: A two-run homer down the line in the sixth, and the Cards walked away with a 5–1 win to sweep the series and claim the crown, with Ciaccio taking home playoff MVP honors. The Cardinals' 1994 team starred league Outstanding Pro Prospect Award winner Dave Shepard and CCBL Hall of Famer Todd Helton , who won the All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Eldredge Park and went on to enjoy an illustrious major league career that led to his 2024 induction into

5746-489: A year, as Cooper Farris took over in 2001 and piloted the club for 14 years, the team's all-time longest-tenured manager. In his first year with the team, Farris' Gatemen club was loaded with talent, and finished the 2001 regular season in first place atop the West Division. The team featured league MVP and CCBL Hall of Famer Matt Murton , and the league batting champ, Eric Reed (.365), who also swiped 22 bags on

5915-431: A young Mike Roberts , who went on to manage Cotuit throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Behind the play of future major league all-star and World Series champion Walt Weiss , who set a CCBL record with 19 doubles on the season, Roberts led the Gatemen to the league title series where they were downed by Cotuit. In 1986, Wareham again boasted the league's Outstanding Pitcher, future major league all-star Jack Armstrong , who

6084-630: Is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Field in Wareham. The Gatemen most recently won the CCBL championship in 2018 when they defeated the Chatham Anglers two games to none to win the best of three championship series. The title was the eighth in team history, including back-to-back championships in 2001–2002. In 1923,

6253-407: Is among the tops in league history. Cole Freeman took the crown in 2016, and Tanner Dodson in 2017. In 2018, the Gatemen won their first 4 games and never lost more than two games in a row, finishing the regular season atop the West Division for the first time since 2001. In the postseason, Wareham swept Cotuit in the first-round series and did the same to Falmouth in the semi-final round. In

6422-408: The 1936 World Series champion Yankees . Orleans withdrew from the league after the 1934 season due to funding issues, but returned in 1937. Massachusetts Governor Charles F. Hurley was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the 1937 season in Orleans as the team faced Harwich . Orleans fielded a team again in 1938, but then was forced to withdraw from the league again for

6591-545: The Boston Red Sox in 1910 and 1911, and who piloted the Orleans team in 1929 and 1930. Al Weston and Ed Wineapple played for Orleans in 1931. Weston was a former Boston College star who had played with the major league Boston Braves in 1929, and Wineapple a 1929 Washington Senator who had played for Osterville in the CCBL for three years previously. Lawrence, Massachusetts native Johnny Broaca played for Orleans from 1930 to 1932, and later pitched for

6760-448: The Boston Red Sox in 1931. In the 1927 season, the combined Chatham-Harwich team finished fourth in the five-team league, but nevertheless was described as "the hardest hitting team in the league." 1927 Chatham-Harwich first baseman Jack Burns went on to play in seven major league seasons for the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers . In all three seasons of the joint Chatham-Harwich team,

6929-497: The Chatham Anglers , a name which celebrated the town's nautical heritage and allowed for continued use of the "A's" nickname. The team also retained its uniform colors and pinstripe pattern. The Anglers qualified for postseason play in seven of ten years in the 2010s, but remained in a championship drought for a second consecutive decade. The 2011 Anglers featured future major league all-star and National League MVP Kris Bryant and CCBL Home Run Derby champ Richie Shaffer . In 2013,

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7098-466: The Great Depression . Chatham competed in the Cape League from the league's inaugural 1923 season through the 1926 season, then from 1927 to 1929 competed as a combined Chatham- Harwich team with home games split between Veterans Field and Harwich's Brooks Park. Chatham's 1923 team included CCBL Hall of Famer Merrill Doane. Doane, a 1924 graduate of Chatham High School , remained involved in

7267-510: The Orleans Cardinals , are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts . The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play their home games at Eldredge Park in Orleans, which opened in 1913 and is the CCBL's oldest ballpark . The Firebirds are owned and operated by the non-profit Orleans Athletic Association. Orleans has won two CCBL championships in

7436-411: The University of Maine took home the honors in 2013 after a stellar season in the Chatham bullpen. Lawrence posted a 3–0 record with a 1.58 ERA, striking out 23 and walking just a single batter in 28 1/3 innings. The following summer, it was Lexington, Massachusetts native and Boston College slugger Chris Shaw . Shaw clubbed seven dingers to lead the league for Chatham in 2014, and finished second in

7605-621: The World Series -winning 1933 New York Giants . New Hampshire native Red Rolfe played for Orleans in 1930 and went on to be the starting third-baseman for the New York Yankees of the late 1930s. Rolfe was a four-time American League all-star, and won five World Series titles with the Bronx Bombers. While at Orleans, Rolfe played for skipper Patsy Donovan , a longtime major league player and manager who had managed

7774-507: The 11th, Petkovsek gave up a lead-off single to Alexander, and was left in the game to face Kevin Garner, who popped one just over the right field fence for the series-winning walk-off score. The 1986 championship series pitted the Cardinals against two-time defending champion Cotuit . In Game 1 at home, Orleans gave starter Conine plenty to work with. The Cards exploded for four home runs, three of them by Alexander alone, and one by Garner off

7943-540: The 1930s, and had later played in the major leagues with Boston and Washington . Lefebvre's team featured CCBL Hall of Fame second baseman Steve Saradnik of Providence College , who batted .314, and pitcher Charlie Hough , who went on to a 25-year major league knuckleballing career. In 1965, Lefebvre was succeeded by CCBL Hall of Fame manager Joe "Skip" Lewis, who led the team through 1969. Lewis' 1965 squad returned Saradnik, and added another two CCBL Hall of Famers in University of Connecticut righty Ed Baird, who posted

8112-569: The 1939 season and disbanded in 1940, due in large part to the difficulty of securing ongoing funding during the Great Depression . Orleans' entry into the league came in 1928. Wareham had been added in 1927 to bring the number of teams to five, and Orleans and Plymouth were to be added in 1928, though the Plymouth entry never materialized. Orleans featured several notable figures during this era. Lynn, Massachusetts native John "Blondy" Ryan played for Orleans in 1928 and went on to play for

8281-442: The 1939 season, after which the league itself disbanded. Orleans' 1938 team featured Danvers, Massachusetts native Connie Creeden , who batted over .400 for the season to lead the league, and who went on to play for the major league Boston Braves . The team's ace pitcher in 1938 was Somerville, Massachusetts native Al Blanche . Blanche was a Cape League veteran who had led Harwich's 1933 title club, then spent two seasons in

8450-467: The 1990s, finishing in first place atop the East Division five times, qualifying for the playoffs in eight of the ten years, reaching the league championship series six times, and taking home three CCBL crowns. Skipper Rich Hill 's 1992 Chatham squad posted an impressive 31–11 regular season record, and featured ace reliever Scott Smith and CCBL Hall of Fame hurler Steve Duda. Duda had pitched for

8619-447: The 1992 championship series at Veterans Field, powered by a two-run blast by Mike Smedes. Game 2 at Lowell Park was an all-time classic. The game went into the 12th inning tied at 2–2 thanks to 11 stellar innings by A's starter Duda, who threw 125 pitches on three days' rest, and appeared to get stronger as the game moved along. Chatham played small-ball in the top of the 12th, pushing across Jeremy Carr, who had walked and reached third on

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8788-436: The 1998 title set for Chatham at Clem Spillane Field , but got roughed up by the Gatemen, who took the opener, 6–4. The A's held serve in Game 2 at Chatham as Jeremy Wade tossed a complete game five-hitter in the home club's 5–1 victory. Game 3 at Wareham was a classic pitcher's duel as Currier was matched up against CCBL Hall of Famer and future major league all-star Ben Sheets for the Gatemen. The game remained scoreless until

8957-478: The 21st century, most recently in 2005 when they defeated the Bourne Braves two games to one to win the best of three championship series. The team was a dominant force in the CCBL during the 11-season span from 1947 to 1957 in which Orleans claimed seven league titles. The team has been led since 2005 by field manager Kelly Nicholson. Baseball in Orleans has been played at Eldredge Park since 1913, when

9126-454: The 5–4 Orleans victory and complete the series sweep. Skipper Kelly Nicholson took the Cards' helm in 2005, led the team to a first-place finish in the East Division, and was honored as the league's manager of the year. Nicholson's Cardinals featured CCBL Outstanding Relief Pitcher Steven Wright , and Emmanuel Burriss , who led the league with 37 stolen bases. After taking the semi-final playoff series from Chatham by winning both ends of

9295-489: The A's boasted an abundance of top moundsmen. 6-foot-8 righty Kyle Snyder was the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect, Tim Lavigne was the Outstanding Relief Pitcher, and CCBL Hall of Famer Rik Currier had an all-star season, posting a 5–2 record with a 2.37 ERA. After sweeping Brewster in the playoff semi-finals, the A's met Wareham in the best-of-five championship series. Snyder started Game 1 of

9464-419: The A's in 1991, posting a 4–4 record and tossing a no-hitter against Y-D . He was even better in 1992, going 6–1 with a 0.90 ERA. Duda led the A's into the 1992 playoffs against Brewster by tossing a complete game in Chatham's 4–2 Game 1 victory. The A's completed the sweep of the Whitecaps with a 1–0 victory in Game 2 to secure Chatham's spot in the league title series against Cotuit . The A's took Game 1 of

9633-503: The A's. Lowell went on win World Series MVP honors with the 2007 Boston Red Sox . In 1995, Schiffner took the club to the CCBL title series, but lost to Cotuit . In 1996, Chatham featured the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect, fireballing reliever Matt Anderson , but the team struggled early on, losing eight in a row at one point. The A's finished the regular season a hair over the .500 mark, and met first place Brewster in

9802-534: The Anglers finished in first place atop the East Division, and starred the CCBL's Outstanding Pitcher, Lukas Schiraldi, and all-star infielder J. D. Davis , who took home All-Star Game MVP honors for the East Division for his double and three-run homer in the East's 9–4 victory. Chatham boasted the CCBL's Outstanding New England Player in consecutive seasons in 2013 and 2014. West Haven, Connecticut 's Tommy Lawrence of

9971-578: The CCBL All-Star Game in three consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1990. The 1988 event featured the league's inaugural All-Star Game Home Run Derby, won by the Cards' mighty Frank Thomas. The host team claimed the derby crown each of the three years, with Mike Thomas matching Thomas' feat in 1989, and Mike Gropusso doing the same in 1990. Orleans won another Cape League title in 1993 with a team led by skipper Rolando Casanova and starring future Boston Red Sox all-star and Cape League Hall of Famer Nomar Garciaparra , who hit .321 with 50 hits and 17 stolen bases for

10140-461: The CCBL batting champ who hit at a .341 clip, and CCBL Hall of Fame hurler John Caneira , the league's Outstanding Pitcher, who posted a 9–1 record and led the league with a 1.37 ERA while striking out 118 and walking only 23 in 92 innings. CCBL Hall of Fame manager Ed Lyons took the reins in 1976, and led the A's to another first-place finish. Chatham was led by the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect Steve Taylor, and CCBL Hall of Famer Mickey O'Connor,

10309-574: The CCBL postseason since the playoffs expanded to three rounds. The 2019 Gatemen featured the league's Outstanding Pitcher, Ian Bedell , who posted an 0.58 ERA in 30.2 innings, striking out 36 while walking only two. Bedell was the West Division All-Star Game starter, but it was Gatemen teammate Matt McLain who took home All-Star Game MVP honors for the West, having hit a homer and single with three RBIs. The 2020 CCBL season

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10478-533: The CCBL title series for a final time during this era, facing old nemesis Sagamore in a matchup of the two dominant clubs of the period. The Clouters proceeded to shut down Orleans, evening the score at three titles apiece over the adversaries' six title matchups in the decade. In 1963, the CCBL was reorganized and became officially sanctioned by the NCAA . The league would no longer be characterized by "town teams" who fielded mainly Cape Cod residents, but would now be

10647-408: The CCBL title series in 1956, but the club was right back in championship form the following season. The 1957 Orleans club was pitted against Upper Cape champ Wareham in the league title series. The Red Sox sent Doug Higgins to the mound in Game 1 and jumped ahead early with four runs in the first and never looked back, routing the Gatemen by a final of 10–1. Orleans completed the two-game sweep before

10816-434: The CCBL's Outstanding Pitcher and Outstanding Pro Prospect, who was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2012. In late 2008, Major League Baseball announced that it would enforce its trademarks, and required those CCBL teams who shared a nickname with an MLB team to either change their nicknames or buy their uniforms and merchandise only through MLB-licensed vendors. Chatham opted to drop its "Athletics" moniker, and became

10985-463: The CCBL. Below are the inductees who spent all or part of their time in the Cape League with Orleans. * During the CCBL's 1923–1939 era, postseason playoffs were a rarity. In most years, the regular season pennant winner was simply crowned as the league champion. However, there were four years in which the league split its regular season and crowned separate champions for the first (A) and second (B) halves. In two of those seasons (1936 and 1939),

11154-453: The Cape Cod Baseball League was formed and included four teams: Chatham , Falmouth , Hyannis and Osterville . This early Cape Cod League operated through the 1939 season and disbanded in 1940, due in large part to the difficulty of securing ongoing funding during the Great Depression . Wareham was the first new team added to the league, joining for the 1927 season to bring the number of teams to five. In Wareham's inaugural 1927 season,

11323-500: The Cape Cod Twilight League, winning that league's title seven consecutive seasons from 1933 to 1939. After a hiatus during the years of World War II , the Cape League was reconstituted in 1946, with Chatham joining the Lower Cape Division. Chatham has been a member of the Cape League ever since. CCBL Hall of Fame skipper John Carroll took the helm at Chatham in 1961. The following season, Carroll's club finished

11492-405: The Cape League and Chatham baseball for over 60 years. One of the longest-tenured general managers in Cape League history, Doane was instrumental in the league's transition to an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate league in the early 1960s, and helped build the powerful Chatham teams of the 1960s. In 1925, Brockton High School star Pat Creeden played third base for Chatham, and went on to play briefly for

11661-406: The Cardinals in 1969, and claimed the league MVP Award. Norris returned in 1970 to bat .333 with 19 stolen bases, but surrendered his league batting crown to teammate Mike Eden , who led all hitters with a .378 mark. Holy Cross hurler Mike Pazik tossed a no-hitter for Orleans against Harwich in 1971, allowing his only base runner via hit batsman. CCBL Hall of Fame first baseman Brad Linden led

11830-445: The Cards boasted the league's best record in the regular season, and met Chatham in the playoff semi-finals. In Game 1 at Eldredge Park, the Cardinals got a three-run clout from Bert Heffernan , and Ignasiak twirled a complete game to best the A's, 6–4. Game 2 at Veterans Field went to extra innings tied at 2–2. Chatham's ace, CCBL Hall of Famer Mark Petkovsek , dominated Cardinal hitters, allowing only two hits through ten frames. In

11999-432: The Cards in 1971 and 1972. Linden was a league all-star in 1972, batting .372 with a league-leading 10 homers. Orleans failed to capture a league title in the 1960s and 1970s, but reached the league championship series four times, including back to back losses in 1970 and 1971 against a powerful Falmouth team that was in the process of completing a string of four consecutive league titles. The 1974 Cardinals advanced to

12168-434: The Cards, 4–0, at Eldredge Park. Orleans got the last laugh however, dominating the Game 3 finale at Chatham, taking the decisive game by a 7–1 tally. In the championship series, the Cards faced a strong Wareham team, and took Game 1 at Clem Spillane Field by a 2–1 margin on a first-inning two-run homer by Aaron Boone . In Game 2 at Eldredge Park, Ciaccio sparkled again, allowing only four hits. Catcher Steve Fishman snuck

12337-455: The Cards. The team also included future major leaguers Aaron Boone and Jay Payton . In the playoffs, the Cardinals met Chatham in a dramatic three-game semi-final series. In Game 1 at Veterans Field , Orleans hurler Chris Ciaccio went the distance in a pitchers' duel that was knotted at 1–1 going into the ninth. Payton clubbed the game-winning homer in the final frame to give the Cards the 2–1 victory. The A's answered in Game 2, shutting out

12506-529: The Clem Spillane crowd in a frenzy, Brown University 's Matt Kutler promptly thumped the game-winner off the left-field fence, bringing in Murphy and securing Wareham's second consecutive league crown. For his title-clinching poke, Kutler was named playoff MVP. Wareham's 2003 team featured pitchers Wade Townsend , the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect, and CCBL Hall of Famer Jeremy Sowers , who posted

12675-499: The Clouters, with pitchers Bruninghaus and Bill McCrae allowing Sagamore only two runs in the series. Orleans took Games 1 and 2 by tallies of 5–1 and 3–1, then sealed the deal with a title-clinching 3–0 Labor Day shutout at Eldredge Park. Orleans repeated as champions in 1953, again sweeping Sagamore in three straight for the title. In Game 1 at Keith Field, Orleans sent Bruninghaus to the mound and gave him ample support, including

12844-401: The East Division playoffs. In Game 1, Chatham's Matt Purkiss clobbered a two-run homer in the third and ace Keith Evans worked 11 innings allowing only four hits as the A's and Whitecaps took a 2–2 tie into the 12th. In the top of the 12th, Chatham's Scott Friedholm smashed a three-run homer to left, and Anderson came on in the bottom half of the frame to nail down the victory. Chatham completed

13013-399: The Gatemen in 1966. Prete, a '66 graduate of Bourne High School where he was a star infielder, hit .319 for the Gatemen on the season. Prete returned to Wareham in 1967, but played for Bourne in the 1968 season, and missed the 1969 season due to injury. He returned to the Gatemen in 1970, when he had his best year, batting .336 and being named the league's MVP. In the early 1970s, Wareham

13182-435: The Gatemen's website. All home games feature live video/audio broadcasts, while away games consist of only live audio. The Gatemen play-by-play broadcasters for the 2024 season are Ethan Eibe and Kyle Marchak. The New Bedford Standard Times ("SouthCoastToday"), The Cape Cod Times and Wareham Week (warehamweektoday.com) cover the Wareham Gatemen regularly. Orleans Firebirds The Orleans Firebirds , formerly

13351-524: The Lower Cape title, Orleans advanced to the 1955 championship round against the Cotuit Kettleers . The series' first two games were played as a home-and-home double header, and in Game 1 at Lowell Park , Orleans bats were on a tear and hurler John Mayo struck out ten in a complete game effort, as Orleans took the series lead with an 11–3 win. In Game 2 at home, Orleans lefty Ray Tucker tossed

13520-503: The National Baseball Hall of Fame. The 1999 Orleans team featured two future CCBL Hall of Famers in pitcher Ben Sheets and league MVP Lance Niekro , as well as future major leaguer Mark Teixeira , who was named the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect. Sheets, who was an all-star the previous season with Wareham , posted a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings for Orleans in 1999. Niekro batted .360 and clobbered 13 home runs on

13689-549: The Orleans team opted to change its moniker to the Orleans Firebirds . Throughout the 2010s, the team continued to be skippered by Kelly Nicholson, who surpassed Laurin "Pete" Peterson as the longest-tenured manager in team history. The team qualified for the playoffs in nine of ten years in the decade, winning East Division titles in 2011, 2015 and 2017, and reaching the championship series in 2013 before falling to Cotuit . Eastham, Massachusetts native Sue Horton,

13858-446: The Upper Cape champion Mashpee Warriors in that year's championship series, which was played as a Labor Day home-and-home doubleheader. In Game 1 at Eldredge Park, Orleans got an 11-strikeout performance by Bruninghaus, and slugger Dave Bremner went 5-for-5 with a homer in the 12–7 win. Facing Mashpee's CCBL Hall of Fame ace hurler Donald Hicks in Game 2, Bremner continued his torrid pace, going 4-for-6, but Orleans trailed by two going to

14027-572: The Wareham Twilight League, and served at various times as the field manager, general manager, and league representative for the Gatemen. Wareham qualified for the playoffs in 1963, and defeated the Bourne Canalmen in the first round series before being bounced by Cotuit . In 1965, Clem Spillane Field hosted the CCBL All-Star Game, which was won by the Upper Cape Division, 10–9. CCBL Hall of Famer Jim Prete joined

14196-410: The Wareham offense and knotted the series with a 2–1 victory. The decisive Game 3 in Wareham went to the ninth even at 3–3. Gatemen closer and CCBL Hall of Famer Pat Neshek set down the A's in order in the top half of the frame. In the home half, Keith Butler led off with a single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and ground out. With two down and two strikes, Gatemen shortstop Paul Henry chopped

14365-418: The West Division. The team starred CCBL Hall of Fame slugger Tyler Horan, a Middleborough, Massachusetts native who crushed 16 homers in the regular season, tying the CCBL wood bat record, and took home the league's Outstanding New England Player Award. In the postseason, Wareham swept Falmouth in the first round, then swept Bourne in the West Division final. In the championship, the Gatemen met Y-D in

14534-495: The bandstand in center field, in a 9–4 win. Ignasiak spun another gem in Game 2 at Lowell Park , going the distance and holding the Kettleers to just two hits and no runs. The Cards got a homer from Alexander in the first, his fourth long ball of the title series. Todd Haney added the insurance with a two-run blast in the seventh to give Orleans the 3–0 win and title series sweep, with Alexander taking home playoff MVP honors for his brilliant power display. In 1988, Orleans reached

14703-435: The bottom of the 14th when the Gatemen walked off with the game's only run. The A's evened the series again in Game 4 at home, taking the lead in the bottom of the eighth on RBIs by Ryan Earey and Barry Gauch, and hanging on to win, 4–3. Behind the solid mound-work of Devon Nicholson, Chatham clung to a 3–1 lead through seven in a tense Game 5 finale that saw Gatemen skipper Don Reed tossed in the seventh. The A's broke it open in

14872-472: The championship series again, powered by CCBL Hall of Fame slugger Frank Thomas , who was said to have hit the longest ball ever out of Eldredge Park, and who hit three home runs in one game at Wareham . The team lost in the finals to Wareham , but Thomas went on to a stellar career with the Chicago White Sox and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Eldredge Park hosted

15041-450: The championship series. The 1980 A's starred CCBL Hall of Famers Glenn Davis , who batted .377 on the season, and Jim Sherman , who batted .339 and returned to Chatham in 1981 and enjoy another all-star season, batting .335. In 1982, skipper Ed Lyons announced mid-season that he would be retiring after the summer. Lyons had managed six seasons at Wareham in the early 1970s, and was now in his seventh season with Chatham, but had yet to win

15210-502: The championship, the Gatemen faced off against East Division champion Chatham . Game 1 at Spillane Field was a back-and-forth battle between aces Ryan Garcia for Wareham and Austin Bergner for Chatham, but the Anglers' defense faltered and was responsible for three unearned Wareham runs that propelled the Gatemen to a 5–3 victory. Game 2 at Veteran's Field was played in two parts due to a Chatham fog-out, but Wareham's timely hitting and

15379-563: The club featured Boston College batterymates pitcher Pete Herman and catcher George Colbert, as well as flashy infielder Artie Gore . The trio of Herman, Colbert and Gore later teamed up again with Barnstable to bring that club multiple Cape League championships in the 1930s. Gore went on to a major league umpiring career, working ten years in the National League , including two World Series assignments. In 1930, Chatham again fielded its own team, as Harwich split off and became

15548-430: The club for the next 14 years. Peterson's 1949 club finished atop the Lower Cape division and went on to meet Upper Cape champ Falmouth in the best-of-five title series. Orleans took the first two games, winning Game 1 at home, 4–2, then capitalizing on nine Falmouth errors while riding a complete game by Roy Bruninghaus and a 4-for-4 day by Dave Bremner to a 6–2 Game 2 win at Falmouth Heights. After Game 2, Orleans lost

15717-455: The crown with Schwarber taking home playoff MVP honors. Clem Spillane Field hosted the CCBL All-Star Game festivities in 2015, and the hosts took home top honors as Gatemen Logan Sowers was home run derby champ, and hurler Ian Hamilton was named West Division co-MVP in the West's tight 1–0 loss. Wareham boasted the league's batting champ in three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017. CCBL Hall of Famer Andrew Calica's lofty .425 mark in 2015

15886-400: The decisive game. In the finale, Thoden tossed a complete game four-hitter at Clem Spillane Field, Rich Samplinski knocked in the go-ahead run, and the Gatemen overcame two potentially disastrous fielding errors in the ninth to edge out the Cards and claim the crown by a tally of 3–2. Thoden shared playoff MVP honors with Vaughn, who went 11-for-20 at the plate in the postseason. Wareham made

16055-406: The distance on the mound for the win in both contests. Sagamore hurler Ricky Anderson almost single-handedly turned the series around as he twirled complete games in both halves of a Labor Day doubleheader, beating Orleans 8–5 in the morning Game 3 at Orleans, and 10–6 in the afternoon Game 4 at Keith Field, and helping his own cause with a 4-for-8 day at the plate. The deciding Game 5 was played at

16224-403: The eighth for arguing a balk call. The game went to the bottom of the ninth with the Cardinals clutching a slim 2–1 lead. It looked as though the series would be headed back to Orleans for Game 3 after the first two Gatemen made outs, but Murton poked a single that started a championship rally. Murton moved to third on a David Murphy single, and came home on an Orleans error to tie the score. With

16393-478: The eighth on a Brian Peterson two-run double, and tacked on another to make it a 6–1 title-clinching win. Cepicky, who went 12-for-32 with six RBI in the playoffs, shared MVP honors with Earey, who was strong in two relief appearances on the hill while going 3-for-10 at the plate. The 1999 A's enjoyed a 30-win season and finished first in the East Division, falling to Cotuit in the championship series. The team returned Currier who had another brilliant season, posting

16562-521: The field, and the A's downed the Commodores, 6–2, for the title. Evans and Clark shared playoff MVP honors as Chatham sealed its fourth Cape League championship and its first to be clinched at Veterans Field. Schiffner's 1998 club was loaded with talent. Slugger Matt Cepicky was a .327 hitter who won the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, and took home East Division MVP honors in the East's 3–2 All-Star Game victory at Veterans Field. In addition to Cepicky,

16731-432: The final frame, but CCBL Hall of Famer Kyle Schwarber had other ideas. Schwarber smashed a homer in the ninth and the Gatemen pushed across two more to tie the game. With the Red Sox crowd in stunned disbelief, Schwarber came up again in the tenth and belted a two-run dinger as Wareham struck for three more runs to go ahead, 8–5. Y-D managed a solo homer in the bottom of the tenth to make it 8–6, but Wareham held on to claim

16900-412: The final frame. In the top of the ninth, Orleans exploded for seven runs, then brought in Bruninghaus to close out the 15–10 win and clinch the club's first Cape League crown. Fuller brought the club back to the title series in 1948 for a rematch with Mashpee, but this time Hicks and Mashpee came out on top. In 1949, CCBL Hall of Famer Laurin "Pete" Peterson joined the team as catcher/manager and piloted

17069-503: The first round, fourth overall, of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft . A perennial all-star for the Bronx Bombers, Munson won two World Series and was named the Yanks' first captain since Lou Gehrig . His tragic 1979 death brought fond reminiscences from those who knew him at Chatham. Munson was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class of 2000, and his name graces the league's annual award for batting champion. In

17238-523: The first round, sixth overall, of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Senators , Grieve played in 25 games for Chatham and batted .416 prior to signing with Washington and moving on to a lengthy major league career. In 1967, it finally came together for Lewis' boys. Saradnik, Greer, Baird and Jabar all returned and were hungry for a title. Added to the mix was Kent State University catcher Thurman Munson , who hit .420 on

17407-484: The first three innings. The Cards shut down Bourne hitters behind the stellar pitching of Brad Meyers and closer Wright, and cruised to a 13–1 title-clinching victory. Meyers shared playoff MVP honors with Burriss, who reached base five times and scored three runs in the finale. In 2006, Nicholson's team starred future CCBL Hall of Famer and Outstanding Pro Prospect Award winner Matt Wieters . A league all-star catcher, Wieters batted .307 with eight home runs, including

17576-401: The game away with a four-run 11th, capped by Junie Lee's three-run bomb, to take a 10–6 win that completed the repeat championship sweep. In the teams' fifth consecutive championship series meeting, Orleans bowed to Sagamore in the 1954 title tilt, but Peterson's boys were back to face a new opponent the following season. After playoff series wins over North Truro AFS and Yarmouth to claim

17745-489: The glut of high-level prospects in the league that year, Knoblauch was judged tops, receiving the Outstanding Pro Prospect Award. Knoblauch batted .361, and he and Vaughn tied for the league lead in doubles with 17. Vaughn and Knoblauch went on to be inducted to the CCBL Hall of Fame as part of the hall's inaugural and second classes respectively. The Gatemen finished the 1988 regular season with

17914-427: The helm at Chatham. Schiffner, who had been Hill's assistant since 1990, had played in the CCBL for Harwich from 1974 through 1976, and had served previously as Chatham assistant coach from 1978 to 1982. He went on to pilot Chatham for a league record 25 years, and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2018. Schiffner's 1994 squad featured CCBL Hall of Famer Mike Lowell , an all-star second baseman who hit .307 for

18083-405: The land for the park was donated to the town by baseball enthusiast Louis Winslow "Win" Eldredge, "in consideration of [his] affection for and interest in the young people of Orleans and [his] desire to provide a playground for them." In 1923 the Cape Cod Baseball League was formed and included four teams: Falmouth , Chatham , Osterville , and Hyannis . This early Cape League operated through

18252-560: The late 1960s, Chatham had dropped the nickname "Red Sox", and reverted to the colloquial Chatham Townies moniker of earlier years. In 1972, the Chatham Athletic Association settled on Chatham Athletics as the team's new moniker, and the Chatham A's were born. The A's finished the 1973 regular season in first place atop the Cape League under skipper Ben Hays. The team featured future major leaguer Dave Bergman ,

18421-691: The league MVP in 1973 and 1974 with Steve Newell and Phil Welch, making it four years out of five that Gatemen took home the award. Newell, an outfielder from the University of Massachusetts Amherst , batted .340 and led the CCBL with 11 homers in 1973. He was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2017. CCBL Hall of Fame skipper Bill Livesey took the helm at Wareham in 1976. Livesey had previously managed Falmouth to five league titles, including four consecutively from 1968 to 1971, and he promptly brought his winning ways to Wareham. The 1976 Gatemen featured future major leaguers Joe Lefebvre and CCBL Outstanding Pro Prospect Bobby Sprowl . Wareham finished third in

18590-439: The league with 11 saves in 2000, then returned in 2001 to record an even stingier 0.34 ERA. Fireballer Zane Carlson spent three sparkling seasons with the A's from 2001 through 2003. He earned 12 saves in each of his first two years, and 10 more in his third, with a combined three-year ERA of 2.23. Bush and Carlson led the 2001 squad to the CCBL championship series, but the team was defeated by Wareham . Former A's manager Ed Lyons

18759-401: The league with 31 RBIs. Manager John Schiffner stepped down after the 2017 season, having held the post for a league record 25 summers. In 2018, first-year skipper Tom Holliday led the Anglers to the league championship series, where they were downed by Wareham . Holliday's club finished first in the East Division in 2019, but was bounced from the playoffs by Harwich . The 2020 CCBL season

18928-477: The league with a .408 average and hit six homers on his way to being named league MVP. For the Red Sox, it was their second consecutive title under CCBL Hall of Fame manager Don Reed. After defeating the Gatemen for the 1990 title, Reed switched sides and became Wareham's field boss in 1991. Reed continued to pilot the Gatemen through 1999, winning another pair of league titles to match his two with Y-D. Reed's first title with Wareham came in 1994. The Gatemen earned

19097-508: The league's All-Star Game Home Run Derby. In the playoffs, Wareham disposed of Cotuit in the semi-final series and met Orleans in the championship round. The star of Game 1 was 6-foot-4 Gatemen righty Kevin Guyette, who tossed a five-hit complete game and allowed just one run in Wareham's 5–1 victory at Eldredge Park . The late-inning fireworks in Game 2 began when Cards manager Carmen Carcone and pitching coach Kelly Nicholson were tossed in

19266-493: The league's Outstanding Pitcher award winner, tossing six perfect innings. The 2023 Firebirds were led by CCBL All-Star Game MVP Jo Oyama, Outstanding Relief Award winner Sean Matson, and 10th Player recipient Derek Clark, and swept through the East Division playoffs before falling to Bourne in the league championship. The CCBL Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame honoring past players, coaches, and others who have made outstanding contributions to

19435-479: The league's Outstanding Pro Prospect who became a first-round pick in the following year's MLB draft . In 2002, Orleans was led by the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award winner Brian Rogers , who posted a microscopic 0.40 ERA for the season, and all-star catcher Ryan Hanigan , an Andover, Massachusetts native who was named the league's Outstanding New England Player. The team finished atop the East Division with an impressive 29–13–2 record, and prevailed over Y-D in

19604-403: The league's Outstanding Pro Prospect, pitcher Gary Kanwisher, who led the league with a 1.57 ERA. Lyons' staff included young third base coach John Schiffner. The A's matched up against first place Wareham in the playoff semi-finals, and promptly disposed of the Gatemen in two games. In the championship series, Chatham met up with Hyannis in a best three-out-of-five title tilt. The A's went on

19773-435: The league's top record, and disposed of Hyannis in the semi-final playoffs. The title series was a match-up of the Gatemen and the Orleans Cardinals . Orleans starred future Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas , a powerful long-ball hitter who had slammed three home runs in one game at Wareham in the regular season. Wareham took Game 1 at home, 5–3, but the Cardinals took Game 2 by the same score at Eldredge Park to set up

19942-449: The league, and disposed of second place Cotuit in a two-game semi-final series sweep, putting an end to defending champ Cotuit's run of four consecutive titles. In the best-of-five title series, the Gatemen faced first place Chatham , who had posted an impressive 30–11–1 record in the regular season. Chatham took the opener, 3–2, in ten innings, but Wareham answered in Game 2 as Bangor, Maine native Brian Butterfield came through with

20111-401: The major league Boston Braves . 1932 Wareham twirler Emil "Bud" Roy went on to play briefly for Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics . After a hiatus during the years of World War II , the Cape League was reconstituted in 1946. Wareham first fielded a team in the new league in 1952. In June of that year, the league's Barnstable Barons had impulsively withdrawn from the league after

20280-488: The majors with the Boston Braves before returning to the Cape League in 1938 to play for Orleans. CCBL Hall of Famer Bill Enos played for Orleans during this period, and went on to be a longtime scout for the Boston Red Sox , as well as the first-ever scouting liaison for the Cape League to Major League Baseball . The Cape League reorganized in 1946 after a hiatus during World War II , and Orleans began play in

20449-508: The modern era. CCBL Hall of Famer John Morris starred for Wareham in 1981. The league MVP batted .410 with a .527 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases, and set a league record with 50 runs scored. The Gatemen featured the CCBL's Outstanding Pitcher in 1983 and 1984 in Dennis Livingston, the winning pitcher of the 1983 CCBL All-Star Game at Fenway Park , and 1984 recipient Bill Cunningham. The 1984 Gatemen were skippered by

20618-485: The mound through eleven. After two nail-biters, Game 3 at McKeon Park was a runaway. The A's led off the game with a dinger by Elbin and another by Merrifield, scoring four runs in the first for starter Jeff Brewer, and never looked back. Brewer tossed a complete game four-hitter, and the A's pummeled the Mets, 9–0, to complete the three-game sweep and claim Chatham's second league crown. In 1983, A's slugger Bob Larimer tied

20787-477: The neutral Ezra Baker Field in Dennis, and Orleans left no doubt, riding back-to-back homers by Buzzy Wilcox and Bob Bremner in the fourth, and a complete game six-hit shutout by Bruninghaus to a championship-clinching 8–0 victory. Peterson's club was downed by Sagamore in the 1951 CCBL championship, but was back on top the following season. In the 1952 best-of-five Cape League championship series, Orleans swept

20956-412: The pennant. The town celebrated its champions in grand style with a "motor parade" through downtown Wareham led by the town band, followed by a banquet given by the town's chamber of commerce. Dignitaries including United States Representative Charles L. Gifford and Massachusetts Senator Donald W. Nicholson were on hand to pay tribute to the Wareham nine. Wareham's player-manager in 1930 and 1931

21125-472: The period 1927–1932. The regular season pennant winner was simply crowned as the league champion. * Regular seasons split into first and second halves are designated as (A) and (B). (*) - Indicates co-recipient Italics - Indicates All-Star Game Home Run Hitting Contest participant (1988 to present) All 40 Gatemen games, in addition to any preseason and postseason games, are broadcast online on YouTube and Cape League TV, which can be accessed through

21294-461: The play of CCBL Hall of Famers Tim McIntosh and Mark Petkovsek , but were shut down by Cotuit . McIntosh led the league with a .392 batting average, and Petkovsek went 7–1 for the A's and returned to Chatham the following season to win another seven games. The late 1980s saw a pair of future major league sluggers in the Chatham lineup. Albert "Joey" Belle played for the A's in 1986, and went on to crush 381 major league homers. Jeff Bagwell spent

21463-473: The playoff semi-finals, but was shut down by Wareham in the title series. Manager Carmen Carcone brought the Cards back to the title series for a second consecutive season in 2003, the team powered by playoff MVP and CCBL home run derby champion Cesar Nicolas. After taking the semi-final series from Brewster , the Cardinals faced Bourne in the championship series. Game 1 was a low-scoring extra-innings affair at Eldredge Park. After Bourne went ahead, 1–0, in

21632-534: The playoffs every year from 1990 to 2002, a 13-year streak that remains the league record. During the streak, Wareham reached the championship series seven times, winning four times, including back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002. In 1990, the Gatemen reached the CCBL finals, but were ousted by the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox . Wareham was led by the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect, Doug Glanville , and CCBL Hall of Famer Mark Smith , who led

21801-474: The regular season first in the West Division, and after a two-game semi-finals sweep of Bourne , faced Harwich for the title. In the championship series, Wareham took Game 1 at home, 9–4. The Gatemen completed the title sweep in Game 2 at Whitehouse Field by a tally of 6–2, with playoff MVP Kevin Hodge's three-run blast in the sixth sealing the victory. Other notable 1990s Gatemen included Roy Marsh, who set

21970-510: The regular season in first place atop the Lower Cape Division, but failed to reach the Cape League title series, losing to Harwich in the Lower Cape championship series. In 1963, the CCBL was reorganized and became officially sanctioned by the NCAA . The league would no longer be characterized by "town teams" who fielded mainly Cape Cod residents, but would now be a formal collegiate league. Teams began to recruit college players and coaches from an increasingly wide geographic radius. The league

22139-410: The regular season with a 28–6 record, good enough for first place in the Lower Cape Division, but fell to Orleans in the playoffs. Chatham continued its regular season dominance in 1964, 1965 and 1966, finishing atop the Lower Cape Division each year, but falling in each season's CCBL title series. The 1964 team was piloted by Bill "Lefty" Lefebvre , who had played in the Cape League for Falmouth in

22308-579: The revived league in 1947. The team was originally known as the Orleans Sparklers , but soon became known as the Orleans Red Sox . Orleans dominated the post-war period, appearing in the CCBL championship series in each of its first nine years in the league, and 11 times total between 1947 and 1959. During this span, the club won seven CCBL titles, including back to back championships in 1949 and 1950, and again in 1952 and 1953. The club

22477-448: The road for Game 1, and came away with a tight 5–4 win in 11 innings. Game 2 at Veterans Field also went to extra frames, with the Mets taking a 4–3 lead in the 11th, but the home club tied it in the bottom half, and then took the lead in the 12th to win by another 5–4 tally. Reliever Kurt Lundgren got the win in both games, coming on in the eighth inning of Game 1, then in the 12th inning of Game 2 to nail it down after starter Kanwisher held

22646-403: The season and was named league MVP. During the regular season, Chatham pitcher Don Gabriel tossed a no-hitter against Harwich at Veterans Field. Chatham again finished in first place in the Lower Cape Division, and met Upper Cape powerhouse Falmouth for the second consecutive season in the title series. In Game 1 of the championship, Chatham pitcher John Frobose twirled 13 innings in a game that

22815-415: The season, and also recorded a save on the mound as the Cardinals and Wareham Gatemen set the record for the longest game in modern-era CCBL history with an 18-inning, 5 hour, 14 minute affair in Wareham. Four years later, Eldredge Park saw that record broken, as the 2003 Cardinals were downed in 20 innings by Harwich after 5 hours and 52 minutes. The 2001 Cardinals featured second baseman Russ Adams ,

22984-513: The season. The Gatemen dominated on the mound as well, boasting the CCBL Outstanding Pitcher Chris Leonard, who posted a 6–0 record with an 0.98 ERA. Ben Crockett, who returned from the 2000 club, was the inaugural winner of the league's Outstanding New England Player Award, recording 74 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA. The Gatemen defeated Bourne in the semi-final playoff series, and went on to face Chatham for

23153-480: The services of stars Bruninghaus and Bremner, who were unavailable for the remainder of the series, and the result was a Game 3 drubbing at Eldredge Park as Falmouth stayed alive by an 11–5 tally. Game 4 was marred by controversy and charges of poor sportsmanship as Orleans brought in Stan Wilcox, who had not played for the club all season, and who had played professionally earlier in the year. Falmouth's defense

23322-421: The summers of 1987 and 1988 in Chatham. He struggled in his first season, but followed up with an all-star 1988 campaign in which he hit .315 with a .449 on-base percentage, and went 4-for-4 with a home run in the CCBL All-Star Game. Bagwell was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017, the fifth former Cape Leaguer to be so honored. Chatham was one of the league's most successful teams throughout

23491-453: The sweep with a 3–0 shutout of the Kettleers. The win was Wareham's only Upper Cape Division championship of the era. Wareham went on to face the Lower Cape champion Orleans Red Sox in the Cape League finals, but Orleans prevailed in two straight. In 1963, the CCBL was reorganized and became officially sanctioned by the NCAA . The league would no longer be characterized by "town teams" who fielded mainly Cape Cod residents, but would now be

23660-512: The sweep with a 3–0 win in Game 2 on the strength of second baseman Jermaine Clark 's two-run double, and advanced to the title series against Falmouth . The 1996 championship series opened at Guv Fuller Field , with Chatham catcher Scott Fitzgerald stifling the Falmouth attack early on in Game 1, cutting down three stolen base attempts in the first three innings. Chatham pushed across three runs playing small-ball and A's starter Seth Etherton

23829-399: The team sixteen years earlier, returned to Wareham and led the team to a first-place finish in the West Division. Roberts' squad starred league MVP Mike Fontenot , Harvard fireballer Ben Crockett, who was co-recipient of the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award, and ace reliever Jonathan Gonzalez, who posted a microscopic 0.43 ERA. As in 1984, Roberts' second stint with the team lasted only

23998-412: The team was led by player-manager and CCBL Hall of Famer Danny Silva . Silva had played briefly for the Washington Senators in 1919, and after his playing days became a longtime umpire in the CCBL. In the early 1960s when a knowledgeable and universally respected figure was needed to unify the newly reorganized Cape League, Silva was chosen and served as the first commissioner of the league's modern era,

24167-534: The team's general manager since 2000, received the league's Dick Sullivan Executive of the Year Award in 2016. Notable players of the decade included CCBL Hall of Famer Kolten Wong , who hit .341 with 22 stolen bases to claim the league MVP Award in 2010. CCBL Hall of Famer Marcus Stroman played for the Firebirds in 2010 and 2011, allowing zero earned runs over 34 career innings pitched, and Trevor Gott

24336-422: The third, the Cards tied it in the fourth on a deep Nicolas dinger to left, his third homer of the playoffs. The teams remained even at 1–1 going into the bottom of the tenth, when the home team loaded the bases and won it on Myron Leslie's walk-off RBI single. Game 2 at Bourne was another tight one, with Game 1 winner Ryan Schroyer coming on in relief to get the final six outs, five of them by strikeout, to nail down

24505-491: The title series, but were downed in the ninth inning of a decisive Game 5 by Cotuit . The 1975 and 1976 Cardinals featured Boston College baseball and hockey star Tom Songin , who went on to play for the Boston Bruins . Orleans' Chuck Dale was the league's Outstanding Pitcher in 1978. In 1980 and 1981 the Cardinals featured shortstop Wade Rowdon , the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect Award winner in 1981, he

24674-409: The title. Game 1 of the 2001 finals at Clem Spillane Field featured no shortage of controversy. A's skipper John Schiffner and shortstop Drew Meyer were tossed in the fifth by CCBL Hall of Fame umpire Nick Zibelli in the aftermath of a disputed fair ball call on Murton's long fly down the left field line. The Gatemen prevailed, 8–3, and headed to Chatham for Game 2 eyeing a sweep, but Chatham stifled

24843-469: The top of the frame and allowed just one in the bottom to escape with the 5–4 victory and complete the title series sweep. Reed's boys were champs again in 1997, led by CCBL Hall of Fame slugger Carlos Peña . The sure-handed first baseman won the league MVP and Sportsmanship awards, and led the CCBL in homers (8) and RBI (33) while batting .318. The team also featured future major league all-star and Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito . The Gatemen finished

25012-473: Was Georgetown University pitcher Harry Noznesky. Noznesky had played for Falmouth in 1928 and 1929, and brought several key players with him to Wareham from the 1929 pennant-winning Falmouth team, such as ex-Falmouth all-CCBL catcher Gene Connell of the University of Pennsylvania , who went on to catch for the Philadelphia Phillies . Upon leading Wareham to the 1930 Cape League title, it

25181-475: Was MVP of the 2017 All-Star Game for his game-winning RBI in the East Division's 5–3 win. The 2018 Firebirds featured league Outstanding Pro Prospect J.J. Bleday , a CCBL all-star outfielder who hit .311 with five home runs, and hurlers Mitchell Senger and Aaron Ochsenbein, who tossed a combined no-hitter against Brewster . New Bedford, Massachusetts native Jared Shuster was the league's Outstanding New England Player in 2019. A league all-star, Shuster posted

25350-418: Was again riddled with errors, and Orleans walked away with a 6–1 series-clinching victory. Orleans was back in the title series in 1950, this time facing Upper Cape champ Sagamore in what became the first of five consecutive championship matchups between the perennial Upper and Lower Cape powerhouses. Orleans seemed ready to sweep the Clouters, taking Game 1, 8–3, and Game 2, 19–9, with Roy Bruninghaus going

25519-495: Was also the MVP of the CCBL All-Star Game at Fenway Park , a game that ended in a 4–4 tie. Rowdon tied a league record with three homers in a single game against Wareham , and led the 1981 team to the playoffs where they bounced Harwich in the semi-finals, but were downed by Cotuit in the league championship series. The 1985 season was highlighted by Cardinal hurler Bob O'Brien's no-hitter against Cotuit in which he came short of

25688-416: Was called due to darkness and ended in a 1–1 tie. Chatham took Game 2, 7–1, behind the stellar pitching of Baird. Jabar, the league's Outstanding Pitcher, was the star of Game 3, tossing a complete game five-hitter, and knocking in the game-winning RBI in Chatham's 3–2 victory, clinching the series and giving Chatham its first Cape League championship. Munson went on to be selected by the New York Yankees in

25857-561: Was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic . Chatham missed the CCBL Playoffs in each season 2021 to 2023, marking the first time since the league moved to an eight-team playoff format that the Anglers failed to qualify for the postseason in three consecutive seasons. The 2023 season saw the end of the Holliday era after Chatham's skipper was forced to resign mid-season due to "personal health reasons." Assistant coach Marty Lees

26026-473: Was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic . Following the 2021 season, CCBL Hall of Famer Harvey Shapiro took the helm as the club's field manager. The CCBL Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame honoring past players, coaches, and others who have made outstanding contributions to the CCBL. Below are the inductees who spent all or part of their time in the Cape League with Wareham. * There were no postseason playoffs during

26195-487: Was held at Eldredge Park, and the Cardinals' own Chuck Seelbach emerged as the winning pitcher. Seelbach also tossed a no-hitter that season at Eldredge Park against a Chatham team that featured future major league star Thurman Munson . The 1968 Orleans team featured CCBL Hall of Famer Phil Corddry, who went 9–2 with 108 strikeouts in 92 innings for the Cardinals to win the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award. Another future CCBL Hall of Famer, Jim Norris , batted .415 for

26364-470: Was honored by the team in 2001, as the 1982 title-winning skipper's uniform number "29" became the first number to be retired by the franchise. In 2006, the team paid the same honor to longtime assistant coach Matt Fincher , retiring his number "23". The 2005 A's boasted a wealth of talent, as CCBL batting champion Chris Coghlan was joined by future major league all-stars Todd Frazier , CCBL MVP Evan Longoria , and second-year Chatham hurler Andrew Miller ,

26533-460: Was in financial trouble with very little local support and was on the verge of collapse. Wylde stepped in as president and General Manager and turned the Gatemen into a model franchise. On June 13, 2008, the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Wareham Gatemen honored him during special ceremonies. In 2007, Wylde was inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League's Hall of Fame. The 2012 Gatemen won only seven of their 22 home games, but finished second in

26702-414: Was masterful, twirling eight shutout innings and striking out 14 before turning it over to Anderson for the ninth-inning save in the A's 3–0 win. Evans took the mound for the A's in Game 2 at home and followed up his 11-inning semi-finals outing with a complete game gem. Clark, whom Schiffner described as the team's spark plug all season, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to go with his usual stellar work in

26871-407: Was named Chatham’s interim manager. The CCBL Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame honoring past players, coaches, and others who have made outstanding contributions to the CCBL. Below are the inductees who spent all or part of their time in the Cape League with Chatham. * There were no postseason playoffs during the period 1923–1931. The regular season pennant winner

27040-478: Was named acting manager on July 12, and led the team to a 3-11-1 record before stepping down to accept a job as head coach at Stillwater High School . Assistant coach Todd Shelton was named interim manager on July 28, and led the team to a 5-1 record over its final six games, highlighted by a four-game winning streak to end the season. Chatham's managerial instability continued in 2024. On August 21, 2023, Georgia Gwinnett College head coach Jeremy "Sheets" Sheetinger

27209-414: Was named the 13th manager in Chatham history. On July 24, 2024, less than 340 days after he was hired, Sheetinger resigned due to personal reasons. He spent a total of 47 days on Cape Cod during the 2024 summer, compiling a 16-15 record across 31 games. On the same day Sheetinger’s resignation was announced, pitching coach Eric Beattie, a CCBL Hall of Fame pitcher with Bourne and former manager of Hyannis ,

27378-420: Was noted that Noznesky "has the college connections to select the best players obtainable and is also on friendly terms with managers and officials of several big-league teams who turn over likely looking prospects to him." Another of the first Wareham players to go on to play major league baseball was pitcher Al Blanche , a Somerville, Massachusetts native who played for Wareham in 1931, and went on to play for

27547-537: Was originally composed of ten teams, which were divided into Upper Cape and Lower Cape divisions. Chatham's team, known as the Chatham Red Sox , joined Orleans , Harwich , Yarmouth and a team from Otis Air Force Base in the Lower Cape Division. Chatham continued to be managed by John Carroll, whose 1963 club featured CCBL Hall of Famer Ken Voges of Texas Lutheran University , who led the league with an astronomical .505 batting average. The Red Sox finished

27716-438: Was piloted by CCBL Hall of Famer Ed Lyons. Lyons managed four different Cape League franchises over his long career, and retired as the league's all-time winningest manager. In six years with Wareham, Lyons' teams finished atop the league in first place twice, and qualified for the playoffs four times. Lyons' 1971 Wareham team featured league MVP Joe Barkauskas and the league's Outstanding Pitcher, Bob Majczan. Wareham again boasted

27885-512: Was simply crowned as the league champion. Played from 1927 to 1929 as combined "Chatham-Harwich" team * Regular seasons split into first and second halves are designated as (A) and (B). (*) - Indicates co-recipient Italics - Indicates All-Star Game Home Run Hitting Contest participant (1988 to present) Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts . The team

28054-414: Was skippered by Herb Fuller in 1947 and 1948, and featured CCBL Hall of Famers Roy Bruninghaus, a Cape League all-star pitcher for three decades for Orleans who had been playing with the team since the 1930s, and Allen "Buzzy" Wilcox, another three-decade player, who was an infielder for Orleans for 17 years from the 1940s to the 1960s. Orleans won the league title in its inaugural 1947 campaign, defeating

28223-645: Was skippered in the 1960s by Dave Gavitt , an Orleans pitcher in the late 1950s and later the CEO of the Boston Celtics and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . Gavitt brought Orleans to the league championship series in the 1963 inaugural year of the modern era, but the team fell short against Cotuit . CCBL Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello played for Orleans in 1963, as did fellow CCBL Hall of Famer Tom Yankus,

28392-457: Was the league's Outstanding Relief Pitcher for Orleans in 2011. The Firebirds boasted the league's Outstanding Pitcher Award winners in back-to-back seasons with Kolton Mahoney in 2014, and CCBL Hall of Famer Mitchell Jordan, who tied the league's modern era single season record with a 0.21 ERA in 2015. Firebirds Stephen Scott and Carter Aldrete won back-to-back All-Star Game Home Run Derby crowns in 2017 and 2018, and center fielder Jimmy Herron

28561-584: Was the winning pitcher at the CCBL All-Star Game at Shea Stadium . The 1988 CCBL season boasted perhaps the greatest single-season aggregation of future major league talent in league history. Manager Stan Meek's Gatemen had more than their share of the talent, and rode it to another league title. In addition to CCBL Hall of Famer John Thoden, who posted a 9–1 record and was the league's Outstanding Pitcher, Wareham featured future major league all-star infielder Chuck Knoblauch and future Boston Red Sox fan favorite and American League MVP slugger Mo Vaughn . Amid

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