Throwback summer for MU pitchers
Published July 11, 2007
WAREHAM, Mass. - On the surface, it would seems as though this little southeastern Massachusetts town is home to amateur baseball. After all, it does boast a league in which a team's general manager is also the announcer, the visiting bullpen is just gravel and umpires make small with people in the stands during the game.
But this is the Cape Cod Baseball League, historically the most well known and most prestigious summer college league in the country. More than 200 current major leaguers have played in the league. This season, two of Missouri's pitchers, sophomore Kyle Gibson and junior Aaron Crow, have made their presence known.
On an early July evening at Spillane Field, the same field that plays host to the local high school team in the spring, Gibson and Crow's Falmouth Commodores traveled to face the Wareham Gatemen. Crow started and got his first win, allowing just one unearned run in six innings. Gibson knew he was going to play in Falmouth, Mass., population 30,000, since the fall when MU coach Tim Jamieson told him he'd gotten in contact with Commodores manager Jeff Trundy. Crow signed on in early May.
"Our coaches at Mizzou talked to Coach Trundy and the folks up here and said it'd be a good fit," Crow said. "They set us up with host families and everything."
All the players in the Cape Cod Baseball League live with people in the community. "We get a room in the house," Gibson said. "They make us meals. It's really nice. You get to see what people in New England are like."
On game night, the people of New England were supportive. Even after Wareham's Blake Dean struck out with the bases loaded, ending Gatemen's best chance to rally in the 5-1 loss, home fans yelled "good try" and "get 'em next time."
"You have a community up here that looks out for their players," Gibson said. "It's like they're family."
Trundy said he loves having Gibson and Crow on the team. Through Saturday, the two were both 1-1 and had the two lowest ERAs on the team: Crow's was 0.56, and Gibson's was 0.87.
"They've been a great fit here," Trundy said. "I'm really glad we brought them both up here."
The Cape League features wooden bats - likely the first time many hitters have used them. As a result, the league is greatly stacked toward pitchers.
"It's a huge advantage for us, but I'm not going to complain about it," Crow said. "It's still a good atmosphere to play in. The hitters like it, too, though, because it's a taste of what pro ball will be like."
Gibson and Crow said they enjoy the experience and the chance to meet and play against players from the best programs in the country.
"I get to play with guys all over the nation," Gibson said. "It's great."
Crow said he loved the challenge of facing some of the best hitters in the country. And to this point, his ERA shows that he is handling it just fine.
"It's a great experience," he said. "Sometimes it's good to face guys better than you."