Wareham Gatemen

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

The Gatemen finished the 2007 season with a disappointing 30 points, placing them last in the Western Division and tying them with the Harwich Mariners for the worst record in the league.

History

Wareham has been a member of the Cape League since its Modern Era began in 1963. The Gatemen, however, would not reach the championship series until 1976. That year, the Gatemen swept the Cotuit Kettleers two games to none in the semifinals to advance to the championship series. There, Wareham defeated the top-seeded Chatham Athletics three games to two to claim the team's first title in the Modern Era.

Wareham would make the playoffs two more times between 1977 and 1983, losing in the semifinals both times. In 1984, the Gatemen reached the championship series again, falling to Cotuit two games to none. Wareham would see success once again in 1988, this time winning the league title for the first time in twelve years.

The Gatemen made the playoffs every year from 1990 through 2002, a thirteen-year stretch which remains the league record even today. During this stretch, Wareham reached the championship series seven times, winning the league crown four times, including back to back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Wareham has only been back in the playoffs once since the streak was broken in 2003. This came in 2006 when the Gatemen lost the Cape League Championship Series in three games to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox two games to one. [ [http://www.capecodbaseball.org/archives/Records/awards_Champions.htm Cape League Championships] . Retrieved 2007-07-04.]

Famous Alumni

*Paul Bako 1992
*Lance Berkman 1996
*Larry Bigbie 1998
*Doug Glanville 1990
*Jerry Hairston 1997
*Chuck Knoblauch 1988
*Justin Masterson 2005
*John Morris
*Carlos Pena 1997
*Mike Remlinger 1987
*Ben Sheets 1998
*Scott Spiezio 1992
*Nick Swisher 2000
*Mo Vaughn 1987, 1988
*Barry Zito 1997, 1998

References

External links

* [http://www.gatemen.org/ Wareham Gatemen official site]
* [http://www.capecodbaseball.org/ CCBL Home Page]
* [http://www.southcoasttoday.com/gatemen/ Standard-Times Gatemen site]