1949 Barnstable team known as "The Townies"
Article By: Mike Richard
Cape League Teams 1946-54
Barnstable (1946-52), Bourne (1946-50), Brewster (1948-51), Chatham (1946-54), Cotuit (1947-54), Dennis (1946-54), Eastham (1949-54), Falmouth (1946-50, 54), Falmouth All-Stars (1951-53), Falmouth Falcons (1951-53), Harwich (1946-54), Mashpee (1946-51, 53-54), Mass Maritime (1946-47, 49-54), North Truro (1952-54) Orleans (1947-54), Osterville (1948-50), Otis AFB (1949-50), Sagamore (1946-54), Sandwich (1946, 48-49), Verdeans (1949-50), Wareham (1952-54), Yarmouth (1946-54).
Cape League Highlights
1946
June 2 - The resumption of baseball on the Cape began with eleven teams comprising the two division. The Upper Division: Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sagamore and Sandwich and the Lower Division: Barnstable, Chatham, Dennis, Harwich, Mass. Maritime and Yarmouth.
July 18 – Mashpee announces it is quitting the league at the end of the first half because of what was termed “erratic officiating.” At the time Mashpee had a 7-0 record to lead the Upper Division. Falmouth with the next best record at 7-1, was deemed first-half champion.
Aug. 25 – The first All-Star game was held as the Cape League All-Stars beat the Red Sox Tryout team 9-5 at Brooks Park in Harwich. As a result of a fine tryout, Cal Burlingame received a contract from the Boston Red Sox. He was signed as an outfielder.
1947
June 6 – Falmouth’s Roche Pires kicks off the season in grand fashion by no-hitting Sandwich, 5-1. June 13 – Falmouth ace Roche Pires brings back memories of Johnny Vander Meer with his second straight no-hitter, beating Bourne 15-0. To add to the festivities, Pires also hits a long home run in the victory.
June 15 – Falmouth pounds out to hits to beat Cotuit, 30-5.
Aug. 15 – Barnstable defeats Falmouth 8-4 to snap Falmouth’s 19-game winning streak
Aug, 24 – The first ever All-Cape League All-Star game had the Upper Cape All Stars topping the Lower Cape, 11-5 at Keith Field in Sagamore.
1948
May 18 – On opening day, Falmouth hurler Ed Peterson tossed a no-hitter in beating Sandwich, 5-0.
July 3 – The Mid-Summer Classic was held at Brooks Park in Harwich as the Lower Cape All-Stars beat Upper Cape, 4-2.
Aug. 15 – Falmouth’s 19-game winning streak is halted by Barnstable, 8-4.
1949
June 4 – Osterville hurler Johnny Drew strikes out 14 and pitches a no-hitter over Cotuit, 2-0
July 10 – In the Cape League All- Star game, the Americans (Bourne, Cotuit, Falmouth, Mass Maritime, Osterville) beat the Nationals (Barnstable, Mashpee, Otis, Sagamore, Sandwich), 5-3 in a five-inning game called by rain at Falmouth Heights.
Aug. 7 – In one of the most impressive offensive performances ever, Cotuit slugger Jim Perkins cracked out seven hits in a 31-9 rout of Barnstable. Perkins had a pair of home runs (one a grand slam), a double and four singles in the game.
Aug. 28 – Sagamore’s Tello Tontini wins the league MVP award as well as the batting crown with a .403 average.
1950
June 5 – Falmouth All-Star pitcher Roche Pires throws his third career no-hitter, striking out 15 batters in a 7-0 blanking of Mass Maritime.
June 24 – Cal Burlingame declared ineligible to played in CCBL because he’s a member of the Piedmont baseball club.
July 15 – The Lower Cape All-Stars defeat the Upper Cape, 13-4 behind winning pitcher Bob Curtis of Harwich. The game is played at Keith Memorial Field in Sagamore.
Aug. 14 – Sagamore sets a new single-game scoring mark with a 24-0 win over Osterville.
1951
May 15 – Barnstable pitchers Carlos Penzi and Jackie Gomez team up to no-hit the Falmouth Falcons, but lose the game 1-0 when Barnstable can’t score a run for their pitching staff.
June 15 – Upper Cape League bans Barnstable’s Cal Burlingame and forfeits four Barons victories because he was declared ineligible after being found to be under contract to play for the Saginaw Club of the Central League.
July 28 – Falmouth’s Charlie Eastman picks up the victory for Upper Cape in the annual All-Star game over Lower Cape, 5-2 at the ball park in Dennis.
1952
June 30-July 1 – No-hitters occur one day apart as Falmouth All-Star pitcher Jack McCarthy turns the trick against the Falmouth Falcons, 2-1. The very next day it is Yarmouth’s Ted Reynolds blanking North Truro, 9-0.
Aug. 16 – Lower Cape wins the annual All-Star game, defeating the Upper Cape 8-4, behind winning pitcher Tinker Meads of Eastham.
1953
June 23 – A Cape Cod League first is achieved with a pair of no-hitters occurring on the same night. Yarmouth hurler Cal Burlingame pitches his gem against Chatham, 4-1, while Sagamore’s Jim Patterson hurled his over Wareham, 5-2. In addition to his 14 strikeouts, Patterson also issues seven walks and uncorks two wild pitches.
July 5 – This season’s all-star game is preempted as each league decides to hold their own game comprised of stars from their own division.
Aug. 11 – Not wishing to share the spotlight this time, Sagamore’s Jim Patterson throws his second no-hitter of the season, blanking Mashpee, 8-0.
1954
June 9 – Cal Burlingame of Yarmouth throws his second no-hitter in as many seasons, blanking Eastham, 1-0.
July 14 – Orleans pitcher Roy Bruninghaus throws the first-ever Cape League perfect game, blanking Yarmouth, 4-0.
Aug. 14 – In this year’s All-Star game, the Lower Cape stars take on last season’s champion Orleans, and defeats them 11-6.
Cape League Playoff Champions
1946 Falmouth beats Harwich, 2 games to 1
1947 Orleans sweeps Mashpee 2-0 in a Labor Day doubleheader
1948 Mashpee beats Orleans in a five-game final, 3 games to 2
1949 Orleans recaptures the title, 3 games to 1 over Falmouth
1950 Orleans repeats in a five-game final, beating Sagamore 3 games to 2
1951 Sagamore comes back from an 0-2 deficit to sweep Orleans three straight and win 3 games to 2
1952 Orleans sweeps Sagamore with three-straight wins for the title
1953 Orleans makes it two in a row and four in five years with a three-game sweep over Sagamore
1954 Sagamore wins its second title of the decade, getting the upper hand over Orleans 3 games to 2.
No Hitters (1946-54)
Date Pitcher Team Opponent Score
June 6, 1946 Roche Pires Falmouth Sandwich 5-1
June 13, 1947 Roche Pires Falmouth Bourne 15-0
May 18, 1948 Ed Peterson Falmouth Sandwich 5-0
May 21, 1948 Jack Cunningham Bourne Sandwich 4-0
July 7, 1948 Bob Johnson Chatham Yarmouth 5-0
June 6, 1949 Johnny Drew Osterville Cotuit 2-0
June 16, 1949 Bob Burgess Brewster Verdeans 6-0
Aug. 26, 1949 Copeland Rogers Barnstable Otis 1-0
June 5, 1950 Roche Pires Falmouth AS Mass Maritime 7-0
June 20, 1950 Lefty Morrison Otis Osterville 6-0
July 17, 1950 Charlie Jones Chatham Verdeans 9-0
May 15, 1951 Carlos Penzi/Jackie Gomez Barnstable Falmouth Falcons 0-1
June 30, 1952 Jack McCarthy Falmouth AS Falmouth Falcons 2-1
July 1, 1952 Ted Reynolds Yarmouth North Truro 9-0
Aug. 3, 1952 Jim Patterson Sagamore Cotuit 7-2
June 23, 1953 Cal Burlingame Yarmouth Chatham 4-1
June 23, 1953 Jim Patterson Sagamore Wareham 5-2
Aug. 4, 1953 Bill Palmer Eastham Harwich 4-0
Aug. 6, 1953 Jack Sanford Bourne Falmouth 12-0
Aug. 11, 1953 Jim Patterson Sagamore Mashpee 8-0
June 9. 1954 Cal Burlingame Yarmouth Eastham 1-0
July 14, 1954 Roy Bruninghaus Orleans Yarmouth 4-0
Aug. 4, 1954 Dick Smith Sagamore Mashpee 3-0
Mike Richard can be contacted by email at [email protected].
