B.F.C. Whitehouse Field

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B.F.C. Whitehouse Field
Map
Address75 Oak Street
LocationHarwich, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°41′34.80″N 70°03′56.9″W / 41.6930000°N 70.065806°W / 41.6930000; -70.065806
Capacity4,000
Field sizeLeft Field: 330 ft
Center Field: 395 ft
Right Field: 330 ft
SurfaceGrass
ScoreboardThe 1998 scoreboard was replaced with a new scoreboard for the summer of 2021 and beyond. The 1998 scoreboard was
Donated by Fay Vincent, Jr.
in memory of Fay Vincent, Sr.
Opened1969
Tenants
Harwich Mariners

B.F.C. Whitehouse Field, or Whitehouse Field, is a baseball venue in Harwich, Massachusetts, home to the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL).

Opened in 1969, Whitehouse Field was named for Mr. B.F.C. Whitehouse and was dedicated in July 1969 as part of Harwich's 275th anniversary celebration.[1][2] The ballpark was built on land adjacent to what is now Monomoy Regional High School, and features a deep outfield fence with a symmetrical configuration. It is accessed via an extended woodland trail that opens into the tree-ringed clearing where the field is located.[3][4]

The press box/concession stand at Whitehouse Field

As early as the 1920s, Harwich had a franchise in the CCBL, albeit originally a combined Chatham-Harwich team.[5] The Mariners became Harwich's own team in 1930,[6] and prior to 1969 played their home games at Harwich's Brooks Park. At the 1969 dedication ceremonies for Whitehouse Field, Mr. Whitehouse concluded his remarks by stoking Harwich's historic small-town border rivalry, turning to the Mariners players and exhorting, "Now go out there and beat Chatham!"[7]

In 1998, a new scoreboard was donated by former Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, Jr., in memory of his father, Fay Vincent, Sr. The commissioner had been a longtime summer resident of Harwich and a fan of the Mariners and the CCBL, and wished to honor his late father who had been the baseball captain at Yale University in 1931.[8] The scoreboard was dedicated on July 6, 1998 as part of "Fay Vincent Night at Whitehouse Field",[9] and has been billed by the CCBL as being "the largest scoreboard in New England south of Fenway Park".[10] A 2008 grant from the Yawkey Foundation helped fund major upgrades to Whitehouse that included the installation of a new lighting system and protective netting.[11][12]

Whitehouse Field hosted the CCBL's annual all-star game and home run derby festivities in 1992, 2002, 2012 and 2018,[2][13][14][15] and has seen the Mariners claim CCBL championships in 1983, 1987, 2008 and 2011.[16][17][18] The ballpark has been the summertime home of dozens of future major leaguers such as Kevin Millar,[19] Josh Donaldson,[20] and DJ LeMahieu.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Harwich Dedicates...Cardinals Win". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. July 17, 1969. p. 23.
  2. ^ a b Eldred, Rich (July 23, 1992). "A Glance at Whitehouse Field, Site of the 1992 All-Star Game". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. pp. S2, S6.
  3. ^ Walsh, Sean M. (June 30, 1994). "Greener Grass, Brighter Diamonds: Ranking the Fields of the Cape League". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. pp. 5, 27.
  4. ^ Sean Walsh (May 19, 2015). "Top 10 Coolest Places to Watch a Sporting Event on Cape Cod". capecod.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "Cape Cod Baseball League Schedule". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. July 6, 1929. p. 2.
  6. ^ "Cape League Forms Plans as Baseball Season Nears". Falmouth Enterprise. Falmouth, MA. April 17, 1930. p. 1.
  7. ^ Price, Christopher. Baseball by the Beach, Hyannis, MA: Parnassus Imprints, 1998, p.189. ISBN 0-940160-71-4.
  8. ^ "Fun facts you may not know about the Cape League". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "Bauer, Falmouth top Wareham, 6-1". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Cape Cod to host Division III Baseball Regional". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. ^ Matt Rice (January 29, 2008). "New lights in the works for Whitehouse". wickedlocal.com. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  12. ^ "Offseason of change for CCBL". wickedlocal.com. February 13, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Gordon, Silene (July 25, 2002). "Cape League plans all-star gala Saturday in Harwich". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. p. 10.
  14. ^ Craig Forde (July 26, 2012). "Harwich hosts the return of Cape League All-Star Game this Saturday". boston.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Matt Goisman (July 22, 2018). "Cape League All-Star Game: Brickhouse, Stowers power West to victory". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  16. ^ Finn, Jr., Frank R. (August 25, 1983). "Harwich ekes out CC Baseball League championship". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. p. 26.
  17. ^ Bulkley, Nat (August 20, 1987). "Mariners capture Cape League title over Red Sox". The Cape Cod Chronicle. Chatham, MA. p. 45.
  18. ^ Adler, Eric (August 15, 2008). "How Sweet It Is! Harwich Mariners Win First CCBL Championship In 21 Years". The Cape Cod Chronicle. Chatham, MA.
  19. ^ Ira Berkow (March 30, 2005). "Millar keeps 'em loose". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. ^ "Cape League Notes". Yarmouth Register. Yarmouth, MA. July 13, 2006. p. 20.
  21. ^ Matt Faye (March 2, 2017). "Cape Cod League alums find reunion on Colorado Rockies roster". denverpost.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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