When Tate McGuire first met Sam White, he had to ask what his name was. The two were set to be battery mates to start off Wareham’s game against the Orleans Firebirds, but since White had just arrived in Cape Cod, they hadn’t had time to meet.

By the end of the night, McGuire knew exactly who White was. So did everyone else.

White made an immediate impact in his first game in a Gatemen uniform both at the plate and behind it. The West Virginia Mountaineer worked with Gatemen pitchers to post eight scoreless innings in Wareham’s 2-1 win over the Firebirds. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate, hitting a single and a home run and coming around to score both Gatemen runs.

“He did a phenomenal job behind the dish tonight,” manager Ryan Smyth said. “[He’s] just an overall gamer and an ultra-utility player, which is exactly what we wanted.”

As a right-handed catcher who bats left-handed and can play the corners of the infield just as well as he can work behind the dish, White brings a little bit of everything to the Gatemen. His calm and focused demeanor means he fits right in with the team, and anyone watching would have thought he had known the Gatemen pitchers for much longer than just a couple of hours.

McGuire and White were on the same page from the very first pitch, working in tandem as the Arkansas right-hander dealt five scoreless innings and struck out six Firebirds in the process. McGuire’s confidence was palpable, no doubt aided by the knowledge that he had fired off 4 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Firebirds in his first outing on June 18.

“I kind of knew what kind of team they were, just because I faced them before,” McGuire said. “Just kind of put it in the zone, let the defense work, and they did an amazing job.”

It also didn’t hurt to have a guy like White backing him up.

“He was a very encouraging catcher, it was awesome,” McGuire said. “[The homer] was huge. That was an amazing swing, and he was amazing behind the plate.”

White’s first hit of the night, a single to right field, was the first hit of his Cape Cod League career and the first Wareham hit of the game. He sparked a series of hits that brought him to third base, putting him in prime position to also score the first run of the game. When Brendan Summerhill (Arizona) took off for second base on a pitch in the dirt, White seized his opportunity and scampered home on the throw to second base.

Two innings later, White was able to cross home plate again and take his time doing so. His 348-foot solo home run to left field was as important as it was impressive, and the moment wasn’t lost on White.

“When it’s your first game, you’re thinking, ‘Man, it would be kind of cool if I hit a home run,’ and it kind of happened,” he said. “I just thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is kind of cool. My dad’s going to be happy about that.’”

White didn’t go up to the plate expecting, or even trying, to hit a home run. His mindset was simply “see ball, hit ball,” and it worked in everyone’s favor. His back-to-the-basics mentality also served the Gatemen well behind the plate, as White caught for four different pitchers — three of whom he had never really interacted with before.

“The guys that are coming out of the pen, that are brand new and you’re seeing them and you only get eight pitches, those are the tough ones,” Smyth said. “But he did a phenomenal job behind the dish tonight.”

The combination of McGuire, Gavin Black (Mississippi State), Patrick Galle (Ole Miss) and Jake Faherty (Arkansas) posed somewhat of a challenge for White, but even more so for the Firebirds, who only recorded two hits on the evening. The Gatemen bats weren’t especially hot, as White accounted for two of the team’s four hits, but it didn’t matter. Thanks to Tuesday night’s win, Wareham has won four games in a row for the first time since early July 2019.

Everything is clicking for the Gatemen, to the point where it doesn’t even matter if their starting pitcher doesn’t know his catcher’s name.

Top photo credit: Sam White hits a home run during Wareham's 2-1 win over the Orleans Firebirds, June 25, 2024, at Eldredge Park.