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Veterans Field, Chatham, MA

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Ten interesting facts about the Anglers

by Alexandra Russell
Sunday, June 04, 2017

Ten interesting facts about the Anglers

Chatham, Mass. — In honor of the season opening in ten days, here are ten facts about the Chatham Anglers and Cape League Baseball.

      1. 2017 marks the 132nd season of Cape League Baseball, which was founded in 1885. Chatham has won the league championship five times (1967, 1982, 1992, 1996 and 1998) since the league was formally sanctioned by the NCAA in 1963.

2.   In 2008, the Chatham team changed their name from the A’s to the Anglers following an agreement between the Cape League and Major League Baseball.

3.   The team was heavily featured in the 2001 movie Summer Catch, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Jessica Biel. Although most of the film was shot in North Carolina, the current Anglers scoreboard was used in the movie.

4.   Until 1970, players used wooden bats in the Cape League. From 1971-1984, the league used aluminum bats, before reinstating the use of wooden bats in 1985.

5.   Twenty-five A’s and Anglers have been inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame, which is currently located in Hyannis. The Hall of Fame features 143 inductees in total.

6.   Hall of Fame member Ken Voges holds the highest batting average in Anglers history, hitting a .505 in the 1963 season. This is the team’s oldest record from the modern era, although many records remain unbroken.

7.   As of May 2017, 127 former Anglers are currently playing professional baseball. 48 have played or are playing in the major league this season. On average, one in seven MLB players played in the Cape League before going pro.

8.   This summer, eight players will return to Chatham for their second season with the Anglers. John Aiello (Wake Forest), D.J. Artis (Liberty), Mason Koppens (Northeastern), Jake Palomaki (Boston College), Caleb Gilbert (LSU), Bo Burrup (Brigham Young), Tom Cosgrove (Manhattan), and Jacob Stevens (Boston College) all played for Chatham in 2016 and will take the field again this season.

9.   Veterans Field has been home to baseball in Chatham for 94 years, since 1923.

10. There are only ten days left before the season starts!

The Anglers will open play June 14 at Falmouth. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Take a look at the full schedule here: http://bit.ly/2sDLWiB