At Fenway Park last Thursday night, there was a crowd of 36,557. After an oppressive heat wave, the air had cooled to a pleasant 74 degrees, perfect for a great game of baseball – also perfect for the recognition of the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Stars, who were treated to perhaps the evening of their lives.

The players from teams across the Cape arrived earlier that afternoon and were ushered into the park for a meet-and-greet with Cape League alums Kevin Youklis and Mike Lowell, as well as Red Sox closer Craig Hansen, who just two years ago was playing for the Harwich Mariners.

While the seats slowly filled, the Cape Leaguers saw a side of Fenway most will never see, chatting eagerly with noted Red Sox players, their eyes and smiles wide.

Shortly before the 7:05 game-time the Cape players, all in red All-Star shirts, took to the field. One by one, starting with the East team, players had their names announced to the fans and faces projected on the Jumbotron as they gleefully accepted commemorative plaques from Hansen and Kyle Snyder, also a former Cape Leaguer. 

As the teams lined up along the first and third base lines, a resounding cheer arose from the crowd. The happiness and awe on the faces of the Cape players was apparent. Kettleers teammates Eric Farris and Justin Smoak bore expressions of pure excitement while Matt Mangini and Charlie Furbush couldn’t stop grinning.

Then it was off to their seats to watch favorite players take the field, someplace many of them hope to be in the future. 

Although the Sox dropped the game to the Cleveland Indians 7-6, it was filled with memorable highlights. Manny Ramirez drove in his 1,500 th RBI, while just seeing David "Big Papi" Ortiz step up to the plate was impressive. 

Hansen did his old league proud when he turned in a 6-4-3 double play, escaping a bases-loaded fright and bringing the crowd to their feet including a sea of bright red shirts in the bleachers, no doubt dreaming of their moment of glory in the majors. After all, they are the stars of tomorrow.

By Kathleen Szmit Manwaring
kmanwaring@barnstablepatriot.com