Harwich Mariners

The Harwich Mariners are an amateur baseball team based in Harwich, MA. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's Eastern Division. Harwich currently plays its home games at Whitehouse Field in the town of Harwich. Like other Cape League teams, the Mariners are funded through merchandise sales, donations, and other fundraising efforts at games such as fifty-fifty raffles.

In 2007, the Mariners finished the season with 30 points, placing them last in the Eastern Division, fourteen games below .500. Harwich has only reached the championship series on two occasions in the past twenty years, last winning the crown in 1987. In 2008, the Mariners improved their win total by ten and made only their eleventh playoff appearance, just the second since the 1987 title. They won five of six to close the regular season 24-20 and second in the Eastern Division. Despite a scoreless inning streak of 25+ innings and scoring only one run at home in the first 26 innings at Whitehouse Field, the Mariners swept through the postseason defeating East Champion Orleans 4-3 and 1-0 (18) and West Champion Cotuit 11-2 and 2-1. [http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080815/SPORTS/80814028/-1/SPORTS01]

History

The Mariners have been a member of the Cape League since 1930, when the team first began play in Harwich. In the league's Modern Era, the team has qualified for the playoffs on ten different occasions. Their first appearance came in 1968, when Harwich dropped the championship series three games to one to the Falmouth Commodores in what would become the first of Falmouth's four consecutive titles between 1968 and 1971.

Harwich would make the playoffs three times in the 1970s, reaching the championship series in 1978 and 1979, losing both times in four games to the Hyannis Mets.

Finally, in 1983, Harwich broke through, winning their first Cape League championship in the Modern Era. The Mariners finished the regular season with only the third best record in the league, but eliminated the Hyannis Mets two games to one to earn a berth in the championship series. Harwich prevailed over the top-seeded Cotuit Kettleers in five games, taking the series three games to two to win the crown.

Harwich would win its most recent championship in 1987 after finishing the season with the best record in the league. Harwich defeated the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox two games to one to win their second league title in five years.

The Mariners have seen little success since winning the title, qualifying for the post-season only once in 1997 when they were swept by the Wareham Gatemen in the championship series. This eleven year playoff drought was the longest streak in the Cape League when it finally ended in 2008. [ [http://www.capecodbaseball.org/archives/Records/awards_Champions.htm Cape League Championships] . Retrieved 2007-07-04.]

Famous Alumni

*Jason Bartlett 2000
*Dewon Brazelton 1999
*John Flaherty 1987
*Jody Gerut 1996
*Mark Guthrie 1986
*Craig Hansen 2004
*Scott Hemond 1986 (CCBL Hall-Of-Fame)
*Scott Kamieniecki 1984
*Tim Lincecum 2005
*Shaun Marcum 2002
*Adam Melhuse 1991
*Kevin Millar 1992
*Pat Pacillo 1982-83 (CCBL Hall-Of-Fame)
*Carlos Pena 1996
*Joe Saunders 2001
*Cory Snyder 1983 (CCBL Hall-Of-Fame)
*Todd Stottlemyre 1985

References

External links

* [http://www.harwichmariners.org/ Harwich Mariners official site]
* [http://www.capecodbaseball.org/ CCBL Home Page]