Cape Cod Baseball League

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The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) is a Summer Collegiate Baseball league whose teams are located mainly in small towns on the Cape Cod Peinsula in Massachusetts. Many college baseball stars play there during the summer. Myriad future Major League Baseball players have played here; during the 2004 MLB season, for example, 197 CCBL alumni played in the majors or were on the injured list. The league is also notable for its continuing use of wooden bats. Because it draws top-tier college players, the level of play is often considered the equivalent of high-A Minor League Baseball.

The CCBL Hall of Fame is being housed at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts through at least 2008.

The Cape Cod League in Popular Culture[edit]

The Cape Cod Baseball League was the setting for the 2001 movie Summer Catch. In 2002, writer Jim Collins followed the Chatham Athletics for the season and wrote The Last Best League about the team and its players. A documentary film, Touching the Game, chronicled the 2003 CCBL season and explored the league's history.

Like all summer collegiate leagues, Cape Cod Baseball League players are unpaid in order to maintain NCAA eligibility. The CCBL is considered the top tier of Summer Collegiate Baseball Leagues. As of opening day 2007, one out of every seven MLB players came out of the Cape Cod Baseball League, although this figure has probably dropped since then as summer collegiate leagues have multiplied.

Cape Cod League Teams[edit]

East Division West Division
Team Location Team Location
Brewster Whitecaps Brewster, MA Bourne Braves Bourne, MA
Chatham Anglers Chatham, MA Cotuit Kettleers Cotuit, MA
Harwich Mariners Harwich, MA Falmouth Commodores Falmouth, MA
Orleans Firebirds Orleans, MA Hyannis Harbor Hawks Hyannis, MA
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox South Yarmouth, MA Wareham Gatemen Wareham, MA

Former Teams[edit]

Championship Series[edit]

Year Winner Series Loser
1963 Cotuit Kettleers 2-0 Orleans Cardinals
1964 Cotuit Kettleers 3-1 Chatham A's
1965 Sagamore Clouters 3-2 Chatham A's
1966 Falmouth Commodores 3-1 Chatham A's
1967 Chatham A's 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
1968 Falmouth Commodores 3-1 Harwich Mariners
1969 Falmouth Commodores 2-1 Chatham A's
1970 Falmouth Commodores 2-0 Orleans Cardinals
1971 Falmouth Commodores 3-2 Orleans Cardinals
1972 Cotuit Kettleers 3-1 Chatham A's
1973 Cotuit Kettleers 3-1 Yarmouth Red Sox
1974 Cotuit Kettleers 3-2 Orleans Cardinals
1975 Cotuit Kettleers 3-2 Falmouth Commodores
1976 Wareham Gatemen 3-2 Chatham A's
1977 Cotuit Kettleers 3-2 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
1978 Hyannis Mets 3-1 Harwich Mariners
1979 Hyannis Mets 3-1 Harwich Mariners
1980 Falmouth Commodores 3-2 Chatham A's
1981 Cotuit Kettleers 3-1 Orleans Cardinals
1982 Chatham A's 3-0 Hyannis Mets
1983 Harwich Mariners 3-2 Cotuit Kettleers
1984 Cotuit Kettleers 2-0 Wareham Gatemen
1985 Cotuit Kettleers 2-1 Chatham A's
1986 Orleans Cardinals 2-0 Cotuit Kettleers
1987 Harwich Mariners 2-1 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
1988 Wareham Gatemen 2-1 Orleans Cardinals
1989 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-0 Hyannis Mets
1990 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-1 Wareham Gatemen
1991 Hyannis Mets 2-0 Chatham A's
1992 Chatham A's 2-0 Cotuit Kettleers
1993 Orleans Cardinals 2-0 Wareham Gatemen
1994 Wareham Gatemen 2-0 Brewster Whitecaps
1995 Cotuit Kettleers 2-1 Chatham A's
1996 Chatham A's 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
1997 Wareham Gatemen 2-0 Harwich Mariners
1998 Chatham A's 3-2 Wareham Gatemen
1999 Cotuit Kettleers 2-1 Chatham A's
2000 Brewster Whitecaps 2-0 Hyannis Mets
2001 Wareham Gatemen 2-1 Chatham A's
2002 Wareham Gatemen 2-1 Orleans Cardinals
2003 Orleans Cardinals 2-0 Bourne Braves
2004 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
2005 Orleans Cardinals 2-1 Bourne Braves
2006 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-1 Wareham Gatemen
2007 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
2008 Harwich Mariners 2-0 Cotuit Kettleers
2009 Bourne Braves 2-0 Cotuit Kettleers
2010 Cotuit Kettleers 2-1 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
2011 Harwich Mariners 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
2012 Wareham Gatemen 2-1 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
2013 Cotuit Kettleers 2-1 Orleans Firebirds
2014 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-0 Falmouth Commodores
2015 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-1 Hyannis Harbor Hawks
2016 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2-1 Falmouth Commodores
2017 Brewster Whitecaps 2-1 Bourne Braves
2018 Wareham Gatemen 2-0 Chatham Anglers
2019 Cotuit Kettleers 2-0 Harwich Mariners
2021 Brewster Whitecaps 2-0 Bourne Braves
2022 Bourne Braves 2-0 Brewster Whitecaps
2023

Further Reading[edit]

  • Ted Berg: "Despite its laid-back vibe, the Cape Cod league is serious business for MLB teams and hopefuls", "For the Win!", USA Today Sports, August 16, 2017. [1]
  • Michael Clair: "Why is the Cape Cod League so special? The best prospects play in baseball heaven", mlb.com, July 20, 2021. [2]
  • Michael Clair: "Celebrating its centennial, Cape Cod Baseball League eyes future", mlb.com, July 27, 2023. [3]
  • Humbert Kilanowski: "cWAR: Modifying Wins Above Replacement with the Cape Cod Baseball League", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 49, Nr. 1 (Spring 2020), pp. 99-105."
  • Matt Monagan: "The joy of being a Cape League host family: Late-night ping pong, pounds of deli meat and friendships that last forever", mlb.com, August 3, 2021. [4]

Related Links[edit]