Falmouth pitcher Adam Urban shakes his head, then shakes it once more. He knows exactly what pitch he wants to throw. He closes his eyes and slowly begins his windup, lifts his leg and fires an oversized, red, foam baseball to an eagerly waiting, widely smiling child half his age.

On June 16, Guv Fuller Field had a busy day ahead. The Falmouth Commodores were set to host the Orleans Firebirds that night, but a different kind of baseball took over the field that morning.

MLB PLAY BALL partnered with the Cape Cod Baseball League to host a youth clinic, giving nearly 100 local children from the Falmouth, Sandwich and Monomoy school districts the chance to play catch, learn the fundamentals and interact with some of their favorite Cape League players.

For Justin Sherman, a PLAY BALL youth ambassador, the reward comes from seeing the impact firsthand.

“We want kids to get out there, love playing the game, build confidence, have a great time, and just get inspired to get on out there and practice and play,” Sherman said.

Each Cape League team sent two representatives to play catch with the kids and get them to fall in love with the sport as they themselves once did.

Urban, who went on to pitch for the Commodores that night, sees the similarities between his own love for the sport and the kids he got to play catch with.

“It was great to be able to help and show them why baseball is so fun and why we’ve been playing for so long,” Urban said. “Baseball is a sport to bring everyone together, even as you get older, it’s a kid’s game, and it should always be fun.”

Among those taking in the festivities was league commissioner John Castleberry, who sees the benefit for not only the kids, but for the players who fell in love with the sport as kids not too long ago.

“It’s great because we get wrapped up in our own world and focused on baseball, but we forget the social part. These kids will remember this for their whole life,” Castleberry said.

The students were accompanied by teachers who were thrilled to see connections form between the kids and the players.

Stephanie Schauberger, a chaperone and teacher from Falmouth, saw those bonds develop almost immediately.

“It’s amazing for them to interact with the players and see that they were once that child too. It shows them they can do the same things the big guys are doing,” Schauberger said.

The clinic was also supported by Massachusetts-based Franklin Sports, a longtime Cape League partner and one of the leading equipment manufacturers in baseball.

With bats and balls provided to the kids, Franklin Sports and MLB PLAY BALL help create opportunities for young players to learn and enjoy the game. Chris Rodday, the brand partnerships director for Franklin Sports, sees only positives from the clinic.

“It helps combine what our brand stands for, creating opportunity and affordable price points to grow the game with the kids,” Rodday said. “It mirrors what we do with MLB Play Ball products and connects to the Cape League as the aspirational end of the game.”

Events like this allow local children to interact with Cape League players while developing confidence, along with their growing love for baseball.

While the Commodores still had a game to play later that evening, the biggest winners at Guv Fuller Field were those who spent the morning playing catch and enjoying America’s pastime.

For a few hours, Cape League players paused their summer grind to inspire the next generation of baseball fans on the Cape.