HARWICH — For a team which endured a dire, mid-season slump and spent two-thirds of the Cape League season in the Eastern Division basement, the Harwich Mariners made a respectable turnaround in the final few weeks, finishing the summer campaign with a 21-23 record after a dismal 7-15 start.

The Mariners 3-0 victory over Brewster in Sunday night’s regular season finale, coupled with Y-D’s loss to Falmouth, landed Harwich in third place and one point ahead of the Red Sox (42 to 41) in the Eastern Division, resulting in the team’s best finish in the standings since the 1998 season. 

Ironically, the Mariners went 6-3 down the stretch, matching their 6-3 start, which had many calling the team an early playoff contender. But Harwich quickly faded and failed to fully recover after dropping 12 of 13 games between late June and mid-July, putting them eight games under .500.

“Losing seven, eight games in a row, it would’ve been easy to cash it in, but we had a great second half of the season and that’s a tribute to our players,” said Steve Englert, who’s posted a 62-69-1 record in his three years as Harwich’s Field Manager. “It’s just too bad because we started to play real good ball down the stretch, but once you fall too far behind .500, it’s an uphill battle, especially in this league.”

Harwich last made the playoffs in 1997, when they were East champions and advanced to the Cape League title series.

One reason for that prolonged post-season drought, at least this year, was the inability to win the close games, as Harwich dropped 11 of 18 one-run contests, three to East Division champion Orleans (who swept the season series 6-0). To the team’s credit, however, the Mariners won four of their final five game by a single digit (and were 3-3 overall in two-run contests).

Despite the lowlights, it was a successful season for a handful of Harwich players, led by third baseman Scott Sizemore, who was awarded the Marty McDonough team MVP. The Virginia Commonwealth sophomore hit .303 (ninth best of all Cape League batters), and was only one of two Mariner players to hit over .300 this season. 

The other was Chris Emanuele, who finished a team-high .312 average (seventh best in the league), and collected a team-best 48 hits (tied for fifth most in the CCBL) after coming over from Brewster.

Tim Lincecum took home the Al Graeber pitcher of the year award, the reward for his microscopic 0.69 ERA – best of all Cape League pitchers. A starter turned closer, Lincecum (2-2) allowed just 14 hits, struck out 68 batters in 39-and-one-third innings, and logged a team-high seven saves. The University of Washington ace also limited opponents to a .104 batting average.

Outfielder Jonathan Wyatt received the George Lane sportsmanship award, and pitcher Dan McDonald was named the Fred Ebbett 10th player of the year. 

Northwestern’s George Kontos (3-2, 3.00 ERA) racked up 69 strikeouts, third best of all Cape League hurlers, and Adam Ottavino (2-2) produced a 1.76 ERA, 10th best of all starting pitchers.

Starters Harold Mozingo (4-2, 2.91 ERA), Kyle Parker (3-3, 2.30 ERA), and second-year Mariner Kevin Mulvey (3-3, 2.30 ERA) each put up respectable numbers. 

Harwich's pitching staff became the first staff ever to average 10 strikeouts per game, finishing the 44-game season with 445. The Mariners ended the summer with a team-ERA of 2.67, fourth best in the 10-team league.

The Mariners hit .226 as a team, sixth best in the league, and one percentage point ahead of Wareham and West Division winner Bourne.

Slugger Jim Negrych belted six home runs and 21 RBIs (both team highs), and finished the season in a three-way tie (with Bourne’s Mike Hernandez and Orleans’ Chris Pettit) for second most extra base hits (14).

Negrych finished with a .224 batting average, while teammates Matt Morizio (.277), Brandon McArthur (.239), Jake Dugger (.228), and Arman Sidhu (.222) also hit comfortably above the Mendoza line.

Already making plans for next year, the Mariners have asked McDonald and UNC slugger Chad Flack – both sophomores in the fall – to return next summer. 

Flack hit .213 and struck out a team-high 44 times, but notched 16 RBIs and proved valuable as the team’s reliable first baseman and an emotional team leader, Englert said. McDonald, meanwhile, was 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA in 14 games. 

Englert said Virginia freshman Sean Doolittle, who hit .278 in five for Harwich before bolting for Team USA, has shown interest in returning – and staying. 

But Harwich native Cody Crowell, who suffered six losses (five as a reliever) and logged a 4.23 ERA, will not be back in a Mariners uniform.

“Right now we don’t have plans for Cody to return,” Englert said. “He could come back and be effective, but I think the best thing for Cody is to get away from here. Being a Harwich kid, I think he had some outside distractions and there may have been extra pressure on him. Everybody’s eyes were on him and it was a tough thing for any young kid to handle.”

Englert said pitching in Falmouth or perhaps the Alaska League – anywhere other than Harwich or the lower Cape – would do Crowell great benefit.

“Cody is the greatest kid. He works hard, is the first guy at the park, and he’s done all the right things a guy should do,” Englert said. “You don’t get a lot of those guys down here like that. I just wish he was little more successful.”

Crowell finished strong in his final outing last Wednesday, allowing just one hit and striking out three Orleans batters over three innings.

On a somewhat positive note, Harwich no longer retains the dubious distinction for most losses in a season. That futility mark now belongs to the Hyannis Mets, who finished 7-36-1, breaking the most losses in the modern era (since ’63), originally set by the 1991 Harwich Mariners, who dropped 33 games. 

by Eric Adler
Eric Adler