Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Grayson Tatrow 2022 ASG MVP - Photo: Samantha Frank; Graphic: Maya Ferland

Article By: Kayla Gregoire

The All-Star game was played on Saturday and was hosted by the Wareham Gatemen at Spillane Field. The day started off with a Home Run Hitting Contest before the East vs West game was played.

Throughout the Home Run Contest there were many kids that went home with a ball. There were also many shocks during the contest. One of the shocks was Lyle Miller-Green (Chatham) hitting an impressive 16 home runs. The average in the contest was around nine in two minutes, but Miller-Green exceeded expectations. It was no surprise when after watching him put on a show that Miller-Green left as the Home Run Hitting Contest champion. In four minutes, he hit the ball over the fence 31 times.

Not long after the hitting contest, there were ceremonies before the start of the game. The game officially started at 6:05 p.m.

The first two innings went scoreless with a pitcher’s duel to keep a zero on the board. Magdiel Cotto (Hyannis) started on the mound for the West. He started off his outing with striking out Nick Goodwin (Harwich) to set the tone for the inning to follow. Bryce Warrecker (Orleans) was the one to start for the East where he kept all batters he faced off the bases.

Despite the West striking first with a single from Mitch Jebb (Hyannis), the East was the first to get on the board and they never looked back. The third inning for the East started with Jake DeLeo (Chatham) hitting a single. After, Luke Keaschall put up a long at-bat to eventually work a walk to allow runner on first and second base.

After Keaschall worked his way on base, Nick Goodwin (Harwich) hit a single, but Keaschall was picked off at second, leaving runners on first and third. Due to a wild pitch, DeLeo was sent home to make a 1-0 lead for the East.

One of the major plays for the East came from Brock Wilken (Harwich) in the fourth inning. Wilken hit a triple that was ruled as an error down the first base line to position himself in scoring position. Grayson Tatrow (Brewster) took advantage and sent Wilken home. The hit looked to almost be over the fence but hit the fence for a double.

Wilken on Saturday had the chance to contribute to the home run derby and the East division team.

“Getting up here last year was a pleasure,” Wilken said. “Getting to do it this year is awesome. Not having the All-star game last year sucked because of COVID, but getting to do it this year just meant that much more special. Getting to hang around all these guys for a whole day, it’s really cool, it’s really an experience. They really treat you like a professional up here, they really treat you like it’s really a big-league All-Star game.”

Tatrow’s hit that sent Wilken home allowed the outfielder to take home the honor of the 2022 Cape League All-Star MVP.

“The All-Star game was a lot of fun, for sure,” said Tatrow.

A major theme during the game was the number of stolen bases. On the Jebb single in the second, he then stole a base on the next batter. In the third, Cole McConnell (Hyannis) also stole second after hitting a single. Someone who was eager to steal a base was Homer Bush Jr. (Yarmouth-Dennis) in the fourth inning. After getting on base due to an infielder having the ball bounce off his glove, Bush Jr. was seen trying to steal multiple times in that inning. Most notably, he wanted to steal before Caden Grice (Chatham) hit a pop fly to an outfielder and had to quickly run back to first after sliding into second.

The only home run hit on the day was by Tyler Johnson (Cotuit) in the fourth inning.

In the end, the East beat the West by a score of 4-1, but both teams continued to have fun throughout the whole day. Every player in the lineup enjoyed playing with some of the best players around the league.

“It’s so fun,” Wilken said. “They are the best guys out here, so they are out here for a reason. It made it that much more cool.”