The Wareham Gatemen (22-17-1) have not played a postseason game since 2019. Five years, no winning records, and the time has finally come.
The Gatemen have snapped the league’s longest standing playoff drought, and now play the Cotuit Kettleers (22-17-1) in the first round of the 2024 Cape League playoffs. With a new playoff format, the Gatemen will play at Cotuit’s Lowell Park in a single elimination contest — loser goes home. The Gatemen will look to go on a run and rediscover Cape League Championship glory for the first time since 2018.
The last time Wareham was in the postseason, it was a very similar situation. In both 2019 and 2024, Wareham would meet Cotuit in the first round after tying for the third best record in the league during the regular season. In 2019, Cotuit defeated Wareham and went on to win it all – their league–leading 17th franchise Championship.
Cotuit leads the season-series 3-2 against the Gatemen. They outscored them 28-23 in their five meetings.
However, Wareham enjoys recency bias in this series after beating the Kets 10-9 in their last meeting of the regular season. Cotuit paid their final visit to Spillane Field just four days ago and Wareham won in walk-off fashion for the first and only time this summer. It was the second-biggest comeback victory in Cape League history, as they were down 8-0 by the top of the third inning before clawing their way back. Eli Putnam (Davidson) led the comeback effort with a 2-for-4 day. He hit the game-tying single in the seventh inning before walking it off with a bases-loaded walk to secure the big win.
This game is back in Cotuit, though. The Gatemen have not won at Lowell Park since July 8, 2022, and have lost six straight games in Cotuit.
Wareham doesn’t want history to repeat itself.
Starting Pitchers
Both teams stumbled to the finish. Wareham is 4-6 in their last ten games, and Cotuit went 3-7 to finish the regular season. Pitching was a struggle for both.
Wareham hasn’t seen a starter go more than three innings since before the All-Star Break.
Wareham Manager Ryan Smyth had an easy choice in who Tuesday’s start will be, though. The clear-cut ace of this staff, Tate McGuire (Arkansas), will get the nod.
The All-Star right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA in seven starts this year. This will be a bounce-back opportunity for him after he allowed six runs in just two and 2/3 innings in his final regular season start at Bourne on July 31. He allowed three homers in that contest – not a normal day at the office for McGuire.
This game will be McGuire’s second against Cotuit. In a 7-6 Cotuit victory back on July 10, McGuire looked so-so when allowing two earned runs in three innings of work at home.
McGuire’s got electric stuff, nonetheless. He’s tallied 33 strikeouts (league third best) in 26 innings this year. A surprise innings eater who rarely gets hit the way he did in his last outing.
Kets Manager Mike Roberts had an easy choice too. Michael Ebner (Southern California) was an all-star, and the best case of reliever-turned-starter that you could ask for. He shoved through seven bullpen appearances this year, until getting his first start just before the playoffs arrived.
At 4-1 in 23 and 2/3 innings this year, Ebner maintains an impressive 1.90 ERA. The 6-foot-4 righty doesn’t allow many hits. In his first and only start, Ebner allowed four knocks – the most he’s allowed in any outing – when holding Orleans to one run in four innings back on July 31.
Ebner’s held opposing hitters to a putrid .105 batting average this season. In his lone appearance against Wareham this year, he absolutely shoved. Ebner held Wareham to just one baserunner – a walk – in four scoreless and hitless innings out of the bullpen back on July 19 – a 6-1 Cotuit win at Lowell Park.
Two aces, different trajectories, and two tough lineups to face.
Players to Watch
If you’re Michael Ebner, you’re being careful to Wareham’s Murf Gray (Fresno State) more than anyone at the dish.
The hard-hitting All-Star third basemen is tearing the cover off the ball recently and has also fared well when playing Cotuit. Gray is a special combination of elite contact skills and raw power. Gray hit for a .329 average through the regular season, which is sixth in the league. He also smacked five homers, which is a tie for eighth in the Cape. With that, he’s a pure run-producer. He’s driven in 27 RBI for the Gatemen this summer, good for fourth best among Cape League hitters.
He’s also riding a little three-game hitting streak coming into the postseason. In that stretch, Gray’s hitting 5-for-13 (.385) and has reached base at .429 clip.
Even better, he loves hitting against Cotuit. In five games he’s 9-for-20 (.450) versus the Kettleers. In his last visit to Cotuit, he went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double.
As for the Kettleers, contact-hitters galore. They lead the league in batting average (.272), with the league’s best hitter for average – Jarren Advincula (California), a .392 hitter.
But it’s Cotuit’s Brandon Compton (Arizona State) that’s been raking the most recently. He enters the postseason with a five-game hitting streak, and a seven-game on-base streak. He’s slashing .333/.394/.444 in that seven-game span.
He also hits for power, with six homers – good for sixth in the league. He’s also reached base at a .411 clip when facing Wareham this summer. This left-handed power bat has hit five of his six homers off of right-handed pitchers this year and will give Tate McGuire big-time trouble come gametime.
You can watch the live broadcast as well as other Gatemen content on the Gatemen Baseball Network YouTube channel HERE.
The Gatemen Baseball Network pregame show will go live at 3:45 p.m. ahead of a 4 p.m. first pitch at Lowell Park.
Top photo caption -- Griffin O'Connor (Georgetown) busting a move at Spillane Field on August 2, 2024. Photo by Kyler Armstrong.
