Cape Cod Baseball League
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The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
wooden bat league located on
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
in the U.S. state of
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousand former players who have gone on to play in the major leagues.


History


Pre-modern era


Origins

As early as the 1860s, baseball teams representing various Cape Cod towns and villages were competing against one another. The earliest newspaper account is of an 1867 game in
Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
between the hometown "Nichols Club" and the visiting Cummaquid team. Though not formalized as a league, the games provided entertainment for residents and summer visitors. In 1885, a Fourth of July baseball game was held matching teams from Barnstable and Sandwich. According to contemporary accounts, the 1885 contest may have been at least the twelfth such annual game. By the late 19th century, an annual championship baseball tournament was being held each fall at the Barnstable County Fair, an event that continued well into the 20th century, with teams representing towns from Cape Cod and the larger region. In 1921, the Barnstable County Agricultural Society determined to limit the fair's annual baseball championship to teams from Cape Cod. Falmouth won the championship in 1921, and Osterville in 1922. Interest in baseball was growing, as was a movement to create a formal league of Cape Cod teams.


The early Cape League era (1923–1939)

The "Cape Cod Baseball League" was formed in 1923, consisting of four teams: Falmouth, Osterville, Hyannis, and Chatham. Teams were made up of players from local colleges and prep schools, along with some semi-pro players and other locals. One notable player during this period was North Truro native Danny "Deacon" MacFayden, who went on to play for seventeen years in the major leagues. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the composition of the league varied from season to season. Towns did not opt to field teams in every season, and teams from other towns such as Bourne, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, and Wareham joined the league. Teams were not limited to league play, and often played teams from towns and cities in the larger region, as in 1929 when Falmouth played an exhibition game against the major league
Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...
. The league enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the 1930s, and even engendered competition in the form of the Barnstable County Twilight League and the Lower Cape Twilight League. However, as the cumulative effects of the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
made it increasingly more difficult to secure funding for teams, the Cape League disbanded in 1940.


The Upper and Lower Cape League era (1946–1962)

With young men returning home after World War II, the Cape League was revived in 1946. The league now excluded paid professional or semi-pro players, and for a while attempted to limit players to those who were Cape Cod residents. The league was split into Upper Cape and Lower Cape divisions, and in addition to many of the town teams from the "old" Cape League, new teams now joined such as those representing the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Otis Air Force Base, and the Cape Verdean Club of Harwich among others.


Modern era (1963–present)

In 1963, the Cape Cod Baseball League was reorganized and became officially sanctioned by the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
. The league would no longer be limited to Cape Cod residents, but would recruit college players and coaches from an increasingly wide radius. In 1985, the league moved away from the use of aluminum bats, and became the only collegiate summer league in the nation at that time to use wooden bats. This transition began a period of significant growth in the league's popularity and prestige among MLB scouts, as well as among college players and coaches. This popularity has translated into over one thousand former players who have gone on to major league playing careers, including multiple members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.


Structure and season

The CCBL regular season runs from mid-June through mid-August. Teams are geographically divided into the East Division and West Division. Each division consists of five teams which each play 44
regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...
games, 6 games against each team from within their division, and 4 games against each team from the other division. During the latter half of the regular season, an all-star game is contested between the all stars from the East and West divisions, and features a pre-game
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
hitting contest. The CCBL All-Star Game was played at
Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...
from 2009 to 2011, but is normally played at one of the CCBL home fields. Following the regular season, the top four teams in each division qualify for the
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
, which is an elimination tournament consisting of three rounds of
best of three There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
series to determine the league champion and winner of the Arnold Mycock trophy.


Teams


Current teams


Origin of team nicknames

Prior to 2009, six of the ten teams in the CCBL shared their team nickname with a team in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
(MLB). However, in late 2008 MLB announced that it would enforce its trademarks, and required those CCBL teams to either change their nicknames or buy their uniforms and merchandise only through MLB-licensed vendors. Three of the teams eventually changed their nicknames. In 2009, the Chatham Athletics became the Anglers, and the Orleans Cardinals became the Firebirds. The following season, the Hyannis Mets became the Harbor Hawks. The Bourne Braves and Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, teams who share nicknames with Boston's two historic professional baseball franchises, chose to keep their nicknames and use MLB licensees for their merchandise. MLB could not enforce the "Mariners" trademark against the Harwich Mariners because the use of the nickname by Harwich predated the entry of the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...
into MLB as an
expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...
team in 1977. The four teams whose nicknames were not in conflict with MLB have locally themed names such as the nautical monikers of the Falmouth Commodores and Brewster Whitecaps. The Cotuit Kettleers nickname recalls a legendary local Native American land transaction whose terms of sale involved the exchange of a brass kettle. The Wareham Gatemen are the only team that does not play its home games on Cape Cod, as the town of Wareham sits on the edge of the mainland, at the "gateway" to Cape Cod.


Franchise timelines

Origins ''Below is a partial list of Cape Cod baseball teams from the 1860s until the formation of the Cape League in 1923.'' *Barnstable Cummaquids *Barnstable Osceolas *Barnstable Village *Chatham *Falmouth Cottage Club *Harwich *Hyannis *Orleans Pants Factory *Osterville *Sandwich Athletics *Sandwich Nichols Club *West Barnstable Mastetuketts *West Falmouth *Yarmouth Mattakeesetts
Early Cape League era (1923–1939) DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:26 PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:20 Period = from:1923 till:1939 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:majorGridColor value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:lineColor value:gray(0.5) id:ohio value:rgb(0.85,0.80,0.80) id:notpro value:rgb(0.82,0.80,0.80) id:black value:rgb(0.0,0.0,0.0) id:west value:rgb(1,0.80,0.80) id:east value:rgb(0.82,0.91,1) ScaleMajor = start:1925 increment:5 gridcolor:majorGridColor # -- Text Positions Define $Up = shift:(,1) Define $Left = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,) Define $LeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(10,) Define $LeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(3,) Define $UpLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,1) Define $Right = anchor:till align:left shift:(25,) Define $RightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,) Define $RightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,) Define $UpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,1) Define $UpRightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,1) Define $UpRightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,1) Define $UpUpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,10) Define $Down = shift:(,-10) Define $Downx2 = shift:(,-20) Define $DownRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,-10) Define $DownLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-2,-10) Define $DownLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,-10) Define $t = textcolor Define $champ = text:"•" $t:white fontsize:L shift:(-4, -1) Define $I = text:"(I)" BarData = # -- Cape League bar:Falmouth bar:Chatham bar:Hyannis bar:Osterville bar:ChatHarw bar:Wareham bar:Orleans bar:Harwich bar:Barnstable bar:Provincetown bar:Bourne PlotData = color:notpro $t:black width:20 fontsize:M mark:(line, black) anchor:middle # other options are anchor:from anchor:till align:center # other options are align:left align:right shift:(0,-7) # -- Falmouth bar:Falmouth from:01/01/1923 till:12/31/1939 color:west $LeftIn text:"Falmouth, 1923–1939" # -- Barnstable bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1931 till:12/31/1937 color:west $LeftIn text:"Barnstable, 1931–1937" bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1939 till:12/31/1939 color:west $LeftIn text:"1939" # -- Bourne bar:Bourne from:01/01/1933 till:12/31/1939 color:west $LeftIn text:"Bourne, 1933–1939" # -- Hyannis bar:Hyannis from:01/01/1923 till:12/31/1930 color:west $LeftIn text:"Hyannis, 1923–1930" # -- Osterville bar:Osterville from:01/01/1923 till:12/31/1930 color:west $LeftIn text:"Osterville, 1923–1930" # -- Chatham bar:Chatham from:01/01/1923 till:12/31/1926 color:west $LeftIn text:"Chatham, 1923–1926" bar:Chatham from:01/01/1930 till:12/31/1931 color:west $LeftIn text:"1930–1931" # -- Harwich bar:Harwich from:01/01/1930 till:12/31/1939 color:west $LeftIn text:"Harwich, 1930–1939" # -- ChatHarw bar:ChatHarw from:01/01/1927 till:12/31/1929 color:west $LeftIn text:"Chatham-Harwich, 1927–1929" # -- Wareham bar:Wareham from:01/01/1927 till:12/31/1928 color:west $LeftIn text:"Wareham, 1927–1928" bar:Wareham from:01/01/1930 till:12/31/1932 color:west $LeftIn text:"1930–1932" # -- Orleans bar:Orleans from:01/01/1928 till:12/31/1934 color:west $LeftIn text:"Orleans, 1928–1934" bar:Orleans from:01/01/1937 till:12/31/1938 color:west $LeftIn text:"1937–1938" # -- Provincetown bar:Provincetown from:01/01/1933 till:12/31/1933 color:west $LeftIn text:"Provincetown, 1933"
Upper and Lower Cape League era (1946–1962) DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:26 PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:20 Period = from:1946 till:1962 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:majorGridColor value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:lineColor value:gray(0.5) id:ohio value:rgb(0.85,0.80,0.80) id:notpro value:rgb(0.82,0.80,0.80) id:black value:rgb(0.0,0.0,0.0) id:west value:rgb(1,0.80,0.80) id:east value:rgb(0.82,0.91,1) ScaleMajor = start:1950 increment:5 gridcolor:majorGridColor # -- Text Positions Define $Up = shift:(,1) Define $Left = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,) Define $LeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(10,) Define $LeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(3,) Define $UpLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,1) Define $Right = anchor:till align:left shift:(25,) Define $RightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,) Define $RightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,) Define $UpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,1) Define $UpRightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,1) Define $UpRightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,1) Define $UpUpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,10) Define $Down = shift:(,-10) Define $Downx2 = shift:(,-20) Define $DownRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,-10) Define $DownLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-2,-10) Define $DownLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,-10) Define $t = textcolor Define $champ = text:"•" $t:white fontsize:L shift:(-4, -1) Define $I = text:"(I)" BarData = # -- Upper Cape League bar:FalmouthAllStars bar:Sagamore bar:Barnstable bar:Bourne bar:Maritime bar:Mashpee bar:Sandwich bar:Cotuit bar:Osterville bar:Otis bar:FalmouthFalcons bar:Wareham bar:Chatham bar:Harwich bar:Yarmouth bar:Dennis bar:Orleans bar:Brewster bar:Verdean bar:Eastham bar:Truro bar:Wellfleet PlotData = color:notpro $t:black width:20 fontsize:M mark:(line, black) anchor:middle # other options are anchor:from anchor:till align:center # other options are align:left align:right shift:(0,-7) # -- FalmouthAllStars bar:FalmouthAllStars from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"Falmouth (All-Stars), 1946–1962" # -- FalmouthFalcons bar:FalmouthFalcons from:01/01/1951 till:12/31/1953 color:west $LeftIn text:"Falmouth (Falcons), 1951–1953" # -- Mashpee bar:Mashpee from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1951 color:west $LeftIn text:"Mashpee, 1946–1951" bar:Mashpee from:01/01/1953 till:12/31/1955 color:west $LeftIn text:"1953–1955" # -- Sandwich bar:Sandwich from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1949 color:west $LeftIn text:"Sandwich, 1946–1949" # -- Bourne bar:Bourne from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1950 color:west $LeftIn text:"Bourne, 1946–1950" bar:Bourne from:01/01/1961 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"1961–1962" # -- Sagamore bar:Sagamore from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"Sagamore, 1946–1962" # -- Cotuit bar:Cotuit from:01/01/1947 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"Cotuit, 1947–1962" # -- Osterville bar:Osterville from:01/01/1948 till:12/31/1950 color:west $LeftIn text:"Osterville, 1948–1950" # -- Barnstable bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1946 color:east $LeftIn text:"Barnstable, 1946–1952" bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1947 till:12/31/1952 color:west bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1955 till:12/31/1956 color:west $LeftIn text:"1955–1956" bar:Barnstable from:01/01/1959 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"1959–1962" # -- Otis bar:Otis from:01/01/1949 till:12/31/1950 color:west $LeftIn text:"Otis AFB, 1949–1950" bar:Otis from:01/01/1955 till:12/31/1955 color:west $LeftIn text:"1955" bar:Otis from:01/01/1957 till:12/31/1961 color:west $LeftIn text:"1957–1961" # -- Maritime bar:Maritime from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1947 color:east $LeftIn text:"Mass. Maritime Academy, 1946–1947; 1949–1961" bar:Maritime from:01/01/1949 till:12/31/1961 color:west # -- Wareham bar:Wareham from:01/01/1952 till:12/31/1962 color:west $LeftIn text:"Wareham, 1952–1962" # -- Brewster bar:Brewster from:01/01/1948 till:12/31/1951 color:east $LeftIn text:"Brewster, 1948–1951" bar:Brewster from:01/01/1956 till:12/31/1960 color:east $LeftIn text:"1956–1960" # -- Chatham bar:Chatham from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 color:east $LeftIn text:"Chatham, 1946–1962" # -- Dennis bar:Dennis from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1961 color:east $LeftIn text:"Dennis, 1946–1961" # -- Eastham bar:Eastham from:01/01/1949 till:12/31/1955 color:east $LeftIn text:"Eastham, 1949–1955" # -- Harwich bar:Harwich from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 color:east $LeftIn text:"Harwich, 1946–1962" # -- Verdean bar:Verdean from:01/01/1949 till:12/31/1950 color:east $LeftIn text:"Harwich Cape Verdean Club, 1949–1950" # -- Truro bar:Truro from:01/01/1952 till:12/31/1957 color:east $LeftIn text:"North Truro AFS, 1952–1957" # -- Orleans bar:Orleans from:01/01/1947 till:12/31/1962 color:east $LeftIn text:"Orleans, 1947–1962" # -- Wellfleet bar:Wellfleet from:01/01/1956 till:12/31/1956 color:east $LeftIn text:"Wellfleet, 1956" # -- Yarmouth bar:Yarmouth from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 color:east $LeftIn text:"Yarmouth, 1946–1962"
Beginnings of the modern era (1963–1987) From 1963 to 1969, the newly reorganized league maintained the Upper Cape/Lower Cape divisional structure, with the championship series played by the winners of each division. Beginning in 1970, the divisional structure gave way to a single combined league, with the top four teams in the league advancing to the playoffs. This combined league structure continued through 1987. DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:1100 height:auto barincrement:26 PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:20 Period = from:1963 till:1987 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:majorGridColor value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:lineColor value:gray(0.5) id:ohio value:rgb(0.85,0.80,0.80) id:notpro value:rgb(0.82,0.80,0.80) id:black value:rgb(0.0,0.0,0.0) id:west value:rgb(1,0.80,0.80) id:east value:rgb(0.82,0.91,1) ScaleMajor = start:1965 increment:5 gridcolor:majorGridColor # -- Text Positions Define $Up = shift:(,1) Define $Left = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,) Define $LeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(10,) Define $LeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(3,) Define $UpLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,1) Define $Right = anchor:till align:left shift:(25,) Define $RightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,) Define $RightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,) Define $UpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,1) Define $UpRightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:(-2,1) Define $UpRightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,1) Define $UpUpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,10) Define $Down = shift:(,-10) Define $Downx2 = shift:(,-20) Define $DownRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,-10) Define $DownLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-2,-10) Define $DownLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:(1,-10) Define $t = textcolor Define $champ = text:"•" $t:white fontsize:L shift:(-4, -1) Define $I = text:"(I)" BarData = # -- Cape League bar:Cotuit bar:Falmouth bar:Wareham bar:Bourne bar:Sagamore bar:Hyannis bar:Chatham bar:Harwich bar:Orleans bar:Yarmouth bar:Otis PlotData = color:notpro $t:black width:20 fontsize:M mark:(line, black) anchor:middle # other options are anchor:from anchor:till align:center # other options are align:left align:right shift:(0,-7) # -- Falmouth bar:Falmouth from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:west $LeftIn text:"Falmouth, 1963–1987" # -- Bourne bar:Bourne from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1964 color:west $LeftIn text:"Bourne, 1963–1964" bar:Bourne from:01/01/1967 till:12/31/1969 color:west $LeftIn text:"1967–1969" bar:Bourne from:01/01/1971 till:12/31/1972 color:west $LeftIn text:"1971–1972" # -- Sagamore bar:Sagamore from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1966 color:west $LeftIn text:"Sagamore, 1963–1966" # -- Cotuit bar:Cotuit from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:west $LeftIn text:"Cotuit, 1963–1987" # -- Hyannis bar:Hyannis from:01/01/1976 till:12/31/1987 color:west $LeftIn text:"Hyannis, 1976–1987" # -- Wareham bar:Wareham from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:west $LeftIn text:"Wareham, 1963–1987" # -- Otis bar:Otis from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1964 color:east $LeftIn text:"Otis AFB, 1963–1964" # -- Chatham bar:Chatham from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:east $LeftIn text:"Chatham, 1963–1987" # -- Harwich bar:Harwich from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:east $LeftIn text:"Harwich, 1963–1987" # -- Orleans bar:Orleans from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:east $LeftIn text:"Orleans, 1963–1987" # -- Yarmouth bar:Yarmouth from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1987 color:east $LeftIn text:"Yarmouth/Y-D, 1963–1987"
Present Day In 1988, the Bourne Braves and the
Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...
joined the CCBL as expansion teams and the resulting ten-team league was split into East and West divisions. Since 1988, there have been no changes to the league's franchise composition or divisional alignments.


League championships

* During the 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 and second halves. In two of those
seasons (1936 and 1939), 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.


All-Star Game

The first CCBL All-Star Game took place in 1946, as a squad of Cape League stars battled a collection of
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
tryout players. Throughout the Upper and Lower Cape League era (1946–1962), the two divisions routinely featured both intra-divisional all-star contests, as well as an annual inter-divisional CCBL All-Star Game. From 1957 to 1961, the CCBL All-Star Game was sponsored by P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company. Ballantine was a major advertising sponsor of the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
, and arranged for appearances at the CCBL festivities by Yankee alumni including Phil Rizzuto, Elston Howard, Whitey Ford,
Moose Skowron William Joseph Skowron (December 18, 1930 – April 27, 2012), nicknamed "Moose", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 to 1967 for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dod ...
, Bill Stafford,
Eddie Lopat Edmund Walter Lopat (originally Lopatynski) (June 21, 1918 – June 15, 1992) was a Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, manager, front office executive, and scout. He was sometimes known as "The Junk Man", but better known as "Steady Eddie" ...
, and
Mel Allen Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940 ...
, as well as Brooklyn Dodgers great Roy Campanella. As the league's modern era began, the All-Star Game continued to be contested between the CCBL's Upper Cape (western) and Lower Cape (eastern) divisions from 1963 to 1969. In 1963, an additional All-Star Game was played by a team from the CCBL against a team from the southeastern Massachusetts-based Cranberry League. The game was played at Keith Field in Sagamore, and the CCBL came out on top, 15–2. From 1970 to 1987, a team of stars from the CCBL played an annual interleague All-Star Game against stars from the
Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The league has experienced moderate success in having alumni appear in Major League Baseball. Fourt ...
(ACBL). The games were typically played at major league stadiums including
Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...
, Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium in New York, and Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. Since 1988, the All-Star Game has been contested between stars representing the CCBL's East and West divisions, and has also featured a pre-game
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
hitting contest. The event is normally held at one of the CCBL home fields, though it returned to Fenway Park for a three-year stretch from 2009 to 2011.


Annual award winners

The league annually presents several individual awards, including: * The Pat Sorenti MVP Award * The Robert A. McNeece Outstanding Pro Prospect Award * The BFC Whitehouse Outstanding Pitcher Award * The Russ Ford Outstanding Relief Pitcher Award * The Daniel J. Silva Sportsmanship Award * The Manny Robello 10th Player Award * The John J. Claffey Outstanding New England Player Award * The Thurman Munson Award for Batting Champion


Statistical records

Individual season records below are for a 42-game regular season from 1963 to 1987 and a 44-game regular season from 1988–present.
Aluminum bats were used from 1975 through 1984.


Individual batting, season (1963–present)


Individual pitching, season (1963–present)


No-hit games


Presidents and commissioners


Hall of Fame and Museum

The CCBL Hall of Fame and Museum is a history
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...
and hall of fame honoring past players, coaches, and others who have made outstanding contributions to the CCBL. Since its inaugural class in 2000, the Hall of Fame has held annual inductions of new members, enshrining over 160 members to date. Originally opened to the public in 2003 at the
Heritage Museums and Gardens Heritage Museums and Gardens (100 acres), formerly the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich, is located at 67 Grove Street, Sandwich, Massachusetts. The public garden, with its nationally significant collection of rhododendrons hybridized by Charles De ...
in
Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
, the Hall of Fame and Museum moved in 2008 to the lower level of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum in Hyannis, Massachusetts. In 2017, it moved from this location, and is currently awaiting the completion of its new home within the planned Total Athletics of Cape Cod sports training facility in Hyannis. Inductees (by year): * 2000 – Dick Bresciani; Bill Enos; Mike Flanagan; Ed Lyons;
Lennie Merullo Leonard Richard Merullo (May 5, 1917 – May 30, 2015) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1941 to 1947, and scouted for MLB from 1950 to 2003. Chicago Cubs A native of East Boston, Massa ...
; Thurman Munson; Arnold Mycock;
Jeff Reardon Jeffrey James Reardon (born October 1, 1955) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1979–1994 with the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta B ...
; Danny Silva; Frank Thomas; Mo Vaughn; Merrill "Red" Wilson * 2001 – Cal Burlingame; Fred Ebbett;
Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (; born June 4, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and the former head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team. Erstad spent most of his playing career with the Los Angeles Angel ...
;
Chuck Knoblauch Edward Charles Knoblauch (; born July 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 through 2002, for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals. He p ...
; Tony Plansky; Terry Steinbach; Robin Ventura * 2002 – Curly Clement; Ron Darling; Russ Ford; Nomar Garciaparra; George Greer; George Karras; Bernie Kilroy; Bill Livesey; Paul Mitchell;
Buck Showalter William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III (born May 23, 1956) is an American professional baseball manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995), Arizona Diam ...
; Dick Sullivan;
Jason Varitek Jason Andrew Varitek (; born April 11, 1972), nicknamed Tek, is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is currently the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded ...
* 2003 – Ed Baird; Sean Casey; Joe Jabar; Noel Kinski; Jack McCarthy; Carlos Pena; Jim Perkins; Ron Perry Jr.; Judy Walden Scarafile; Cory Snyder; Pat Sorenti * 2004 – Roy Bruninghaus; Bob Butkus;
John Caneira John Cascaes Caneira (born October 7, 1952) is a retired professional baseball player who played two seasons for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Caneira went to Naugatuck High School in Naugatuck, ...
;
Will Clark William Nuschler Clark Jr. (born March 13, 1964) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 through 2000. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles ...
; Pat Hope; Eric Milton;
Jim Norris James Francis Norris (born December 20, 1948) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1980 for the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, playing all three outfield positions. Amateur career ...
; Don Reed; Dave Staton; Tello Tontini * 2005 – Mike Curran;
Bobby Kielty Robert Michael Kielty (last name pronounced KELT-ee) (born August 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox during a Major League B ...
; Mickey Morandini; Sam Nattile; Pat Pacillo; Manny Pena; Jack Sanford;
Tim Teufel Timothy Shawn Teufel (born July 7, 1958) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current coach. He played Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the New York Mets with whom he won a world championship ...
; John Thoden; Ken Voges * 2006 – Steve Balboni; Rik Currier; Steve Duda; Jim Hubbard; Ross Jones; Greg Lotzar;
Lance Niekro Lance William Niekro ( ; born January 29, 1979) is a baseball coach and former first baseman, who is the current head baseball coach of the Florida Southern Moccasins. He played college baseball at Florida Southern for coach Chuck Anderson from 1 ...
; Josh Paul; Allen (Buzzy) Wilcox * 2007 – Del Bender;
Scott Hemond Scott Mathew Hemond (born November 18, 1965) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from - for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals. Amateur career Scott was dr ...
; Dick Licini; John Morris; Steve Saradnik; Bob Schaefer;
Walt Terrell Charles Walter Terrell (born May 11, 1958) is a retired Major League Baseball player. A starting pitcher, Terrell pitched from 1982 to 1992 for the New York Mets (1982–1984), Detroit Tigers (1985–1988), San Diego Padres (1989), New York Yankee ...
; Jack Walsh; John Wylde * 2008 – Derrick DePriest;
Bob Hansen Robert Louis Hansen II (born January 18, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A guard, he played nine seasons (1983–1992) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hansen is currently a commentator for Iowa Hawkeye ...
;
Jeff Innis Jeffrey David Innis (July 5, 1962January 30, 2022) was an American baseball pitcher who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "I-Man", he played for the New York Mets from 1987 to 1993. He batted and threw right-han ...
; Robert A. McNeece;
Matt Murton Matthew Henry Murton (born October 3, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Colorado Rockies. Murton also played in Nippon Professional ...
; Roche Pires;
Ben Sheets Ben Michael Sheets (born July 18, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Sheets is a four-time MLB All-Star (2001, 2004, 20 ...
; Mike Stenhouse * 2009 – Mark Angelo; John Awdycki; Zane Carlson; Lou Lamoriello; Joe "Skip" Lewis;
Joe Magrane Joseph David Magrane (born July 2, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, and Chicago White Sox between 1987 and 1996, and is currently a color commentary broadcas ...
;
Art Quirk Arthur Lincoln Quirk Jr. (April 11, 1938 – November 22, 2014) was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played two seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Senators. Amateur ca ...
; Bill Schroeder;
Pie Traynor Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor (November 11, 1898 – March 16, 1972) was an American third baseman, manager, scout and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career between 1920 and 1937 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. ...
;
Greg Vaughn Gregory Lamont Vaughn (born July 3, 1965) is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado ...
* 2010 – David Aardsma;
Casey Close Casey Richard Close (born October 21, 1963) is a former American baseball player and sports agent. University of Michigan Close was born in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Worthington High School before attending the University of Michigan on ...
;
Jack Cressend John Baptiste "Jack" Cressend III (born May 13, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Cressend played for the Minnesota Twins (-) and Cleveland Indians (-). Career Cressend attended Mandeville High School and played colleg ...
; Peter Ford; Wayne Granger;
Tom Grieve Thomas Alan Grieve (born March 4, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1979 for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. He was nicknam ...
; Mike Loggins; Lou Merloni; Steve Robbins; Tom Weir * 2011 – David Bush; Doug Fisher; Scott Kamieniecki; Mike Lowell; Paul O'Neill; Mark Smith;
Eric Wedge Eric Michael Wedge (born January 27, 1968) is an American former baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and manager. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in ...
; Bill Wissler * 2012 – John "Jack" Aylmer; Billy Best; John Carroll; Dan DeMichele; Danny "Deacon" MacFayden; Andrew Miller; Laurin "Pete" Peterson; Jim Sherman * 2013 – Garrett Atkins; Daniel Carte; Merrill Doane; Ed Drucker; Mickey O'Connor; Jim Prete;
Ryan Speier Ryan Andrew Speier (born July 24, 1979) is an American former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. He played with the Colorado Rockies for his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career, from when he was called up to July 24, when he was d ...
; Matt Wieters * 2014 – Eric Beattie; Phil Corddry; Sam Fuld; Donald Hicks Sr.; Bob St. Pierre * 2015 – ''(None)'' * 2016 – J.C. Holt; Warner Jones; Jim McCollom; Mark Petkovsek;
Kyle Roller Kyle Matthew Roller (born March 27, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman. Career Amateur Roller played college baseball at East Carolina University from 2007 to 2010. In 2008 and 2009, he played collegiate summer baseball in ...
;
Kolten Wong Kolten Kaha Wong (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. He made his ...
* 2017 –
Joey Cora José Manuel Cora Amaro (born May 14, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball player with an 11-year career in MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989–1998 and current third base coach for the New York Mets. He played for the San Diego Padres o ...
; Dennis Long; Justin Masterson; Tim McIntosh; Steve Newell; Jeremy Sowers; Chuck Sturtevant; Tom Yankus * 2018 – Arthur "Ace" Adams; Barbara Ellsworth; Peter Gammons; Craig Hansen; John Schiffner; Mark Sweeney * 2019 – Paul Galop;
Conor Gillaspie Conor Michael Gillaspie (born July 18, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim between 2008 and 2017. Early life Gillaspie ...
; Brad Linden; Chris Overman; Scott Pickler;
Kyle Schwarber Kyle Joseph Schwarber (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers and was a first-round selection in the 20 ...
; Shaun Seibert; Nick Zibelli * 2020 – Charles P. "Buzz" Bowers; Bob Corradi; Tyler Horan; Harry Nelson; Kevin Newman, Cliff Pennington, Harvey Shapiro; Sol Yas * 2021 – ''(None; class of 2020 ceremonies postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic)'' * 2022 –
Marcus Stroman Marcus Earl Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Stroman is listed at , making h ...
; Ian Happ; Billy Wagner; Justin Smoak; Patrick Biondi; Steven Wilson


Alumni in the National Baseball Hall of Fame

The following former CCBL players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In addition to the player inductees below, Cooperstown also honored longtime CCBL president Judy Walden Scarafile in 2010 by featuring her in the museum's ''Diamond Dreams'' exhibit, which highlights stories of pioneering women in baseball.


See also

*
Cape Cod Baseball League ballparks A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. T ...
* Cape Cod Baseball League coaches * Cape Cod Baseball League players *
Cape Cod Baseball League players (pre-modern era) A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
* List of Collegiate Summer Baseball Leagues * '' Summer Catch'', a 2001 American
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...
film set in the Cape Cod Baseball League.


References


External links


Cape Cod Baseball League

Collegiate Summer Baseball Register
Official Team Websites
Bourne Braves

Brewster Whitecaps

Chatham Anglers

Cotuit Kettleers

Falmouth Commodores

Harwich Mariners

Hyannis Harbor Hawks

Orleans Firebirds

Wareham Gatemen

Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
{{College Summer Baseball 1885 establishments in Massachusetts Baseball leagues in Massachusetts Sports in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Sports in Plymouth County, Massachusetts College baseball leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1885 Summer baseball leagues