Rain Brings Abrupt End To Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game In Harwich

HARWICH – The 2026 Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star at Whitehouse Field had no final result Saturday. There was no winner, no loser. No MVP awards bestowed afterwards.

By the book, the game was never officially played at all. Persistent rain washed out the midsummer exhibition between the East and West Division standouts, cutting the evening short at the home of the Harwich Mariners.

The sides got two scoreless innings in. They were seven pitches into the top of the third when the weather, which had been on-off precipitating from a murky gray overcast all afternoon and caused an initial 15-minute delay, truly picked up. The umpires congregated under the heavy downpour and ordered a suspension of play.

A few minutes passed, and the announcement came over the loudspeakers: The game would resume the following afternoon. But some moments later, collective cheers emanated from both dugouts, inside which the All-Stars players and East/West coaching staffs sheltered at the partially tarped-over baseball diamond. Then came the second announcement for the public: Just kidding, the game has been cancelled entirely.    

“It's disappointing that everybody didn't get to perform, obviously, but you can't control the weather,” said Orleans Firebirds manager Kelly Nicholson, who skippered the East team. “And it was a good decision to obviously cancel this one and not play tomorrow, because I think a lot of these players had prior commitments with family and Red Sox games and Nantucket and the Vineyard, and it's unfortunate.”

The rain started in earnest during the home run contest that preceded the game. Cotuit Kettleers outfielder/catcher Brady Christman (Mississippi State/transfer from Georgia Southern) emerged victorious after a show of tank after tank he smoked through the wet. 

Christman beat Orleans outfielder Bub Terrell (Auburn) and Falmouth Commodores outfielder Ben Slanker (Louisville) in the final round. Also participating in the derby was  Wareham catcher Coen Niclai (Arizona State), Brewster Whitecaps catcher Jacob Lee (Virginia Commonwealth) and Chatham Anglers first baseman/right-handed pitcher Naulivou Lauaki Jr. (Georgia/transfer from Oregon). The players hit 61 home runs total.

After the first rain delay, Hyannis Harbor Hawks right-hander Brady St. Pierre (Southeastern Louisiana) got the All-Star game start for the West. Chatham infielder Rob Rispoli (Connecticut), leading off for the East, grounded out. Harwich outfielder Colin Larson (Boston College) walked, then was caught stealing. Harwich third baseman JP Peltier (Kentucky/transfer from Wright State) flied out.

Chatham right-hander Angel Cervantes (UCLA) started for the East. He struck out two and allowed a single, a grounder through the six-hole, in the one inning of work (see Athlete of the Week).

“With the rain in the beginning, I didn't feel like throwing…but I got adrenaline with everyone here,” Cervantes said. “It was pretty nice, but I'm glad our team was doing good in the beginning. I'm pretty sure we would have won it. We had a pretty good group.”

Falmouth right-hander Kenyon Collins (Marshall) breezed through a clean top of the second, and Chatham right-hander Max Luzarraga (Dallas Baptist) struck out two around a double.

Wareham right-hander Ethan Baiotto (Tennessee) entered for the West in the third. He induced a flyout, walked the next, the rain really became heavy — and that was the game. 

All told, eight of nine players in the East and West starting lineups (of 18 rostered position players each) saw a plate appearance. Two of 10 pitchers saw the mound for the East, three for the West. 

“They didn't want to play tomorrow, but it's fun to watch them play, man,” Nicholson said. “They're good players, and it's a long day, but there was a lot of talent out there, and we had fun. I think we really enjoyed being with each other. Just sitting over here having a great conversation with [Whitecaps manager] Jamie Shevchik and [Harwich manager Steve Englert] and [Chatham manager] Dennis Cook, and we enjoy each other's company. At least the East, we really get along, so that was disappointing. But yeah, we wanted to play today for sure.”