On Opening Day of the 2024 Cape Cod Baseball League season, the Wareham Gatemen were run-ruled 11-1 by the Chatham Anglers. The Gatemen struggled to find a rhythm at the plate and on the mound, as four Wareham pitchers combined to give up 12 hits, 11 runs and six walks across seven innings. The Anglers, on the other hand, found great success in just about every aspect, scoring 11 runs on 12 hits while their pitching staff struck out eight Gatemen batters.
The Gatemen didn’t let its Opening Day letdown get to them, however, taking it one game at a time. It’s been working.
Since June 15, Wareham is 8-1 and on a five-game win streak for the first time since late-July of 2017. Team chemistry and energy is at an all-time high and the offense leads the league in batting average (.278), slugging percentage (.441), hits (87), doubles (21) and triples (3). Gatemen pitching is feeding off the potent offense backing it up; everything is clicking.
In order to strike back against the Anglers when they visit Veterans Field Thursday night, the Gatemen will need to continue to give it their all. Chatham, while holding a 5-5 record, boasts the best pitching staff in the league. The Anglers’ 2.73 team ERA means they have held opponents to a total of 35 runs across 10 games.
Starting Pitchers
Yoel Tejeda Jr. (transfer portal) will toe the rubber for the Gatemen for the first time in 2024, looking to continue the success he found on the mound last summer. In 2023, the right-hander posted a 2.79 ERA across 19 1/3 innings of work for Wareham, striking out 21 batters and walking 10. The 6-foot-8 Florida native spent the 2024 collegiate season with Florida State, where he struck out 15 batters and walked 14 in 19 2/3 innings pitched, ending the season with a 5.03 ERA.
Chatham’s Liam Paddack (Gonzaga) will try to replicate his first outing of the summer — 5 1/3 innings with one earned run, two walks and seven strikeouts — against the Gatemen Thursday night. Paddack’s outing is the longest a Chatham starting pitcher has thrown for this season. The lefthander spent time in Chatham last summer as well, posting a 6.63 ERA over 20.1 innings and walking 19 batters while striking out 17. During the 2024 season with Gonzaga, Paddack struck out 65 batters and walked 48, recording a 5.76 ERA in 54 2/3 innings of work.
Players to Watch
Yohann Dessureault (Stetson) has been a strong yet under-the-radar presence for the Gatemen this summer both at the plate and in the infield. The second baseman is batting .350 with seven hits and four RBI, and in Wareham’s 7-3 win over Harwich on Wednesday night knocked in a run on an RBI single. The Quebec native posted a batting average of .293 this past season at Stetson, driving in 41 RBI on 23 extra-base hits.
Sam White (West Virginia) has only played two games in a Wareham uniform so far this summer, but has made an immediate and important impact. After making his first start as catcher two nights ago, the utility player took control of left field in Wareham’s 7-3 win over Harwich. He went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double and came around to swipe home plate on an infield single from Dessureault. White is 3-for-7 in his first two Cape League games and leads the team with a .429 batting average.
John Bay (Austin Peay) is Chatham’s most powerful threat at the plate, leading the Anglers in slugging percentage (.739), on-base percentage (.483) and home runs (3). The outfielder is one of four Anglers batting above .300, with a .348 batting average. Bay’s 1.222 OPS also puts him at third in the league.
Chatham will try to win two games in a row for the first time this summer, while Wareham will look to extend its win streak to six games for the first time since 2016. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Veterans Field, and the game will be broadcast on Cape League TV.
Top Photo Credit: Yohann Dessureault bats during Wareham's 7-3 win over the Harwich Mariners, June 27 2024, at Spillane Field. Photo by Keegan Maloney.
