There are rivalries all throughout sports that will amplify any fan’s attention: Red Sox and Yankees, Bruins and Canadiens, Celtics and Lakers… two nights ago it was Firebirds and Anglers, and boy did they deliver. The 4th of July is a special night for anyone throughout the U.S., but playing America’s pastime on the day we celebrate our independence 243 years to the day? That’s something else.
Chatham sits in first place, and Orleans sits in second, with a single point separating the two. We knew this would be good from the start. It seemed to be a game that had Chatham in the drivers seat. Cole Ayers started on the mound and only allowed a lone run in his six innings pitched for Chatham. Mike Vasil was pulled by Orleans after getting hammered for four runs in the third inning.
Little did Chatham know Orleans was saving a comeback attempt for the ages. With any game, a five-run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning should be enough for comfort. Send in the closer, three quick outs, the game is over, now we can go enjoy the fireworks. Well the fireworks certainly came, but they weren’t lights exploding in the sky, they came on the baseball field. Orleans brought life back into the packed crowd with four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, coming just short of the fifth that it would’ve taken to continue playing baseball. It was the true essence of a rivalry game: no quit, all heart, handshakes in the end.
I spoke briefly with Orleans sideline reporter Scotty Gange, and he talked about the setting of the 4th of July tacked on to an already longstanding rivalry, and what it meant to both the players and the coaches saying, “there’s 44 games, so the baseball aspect of it doesn’t change. The atmosphere, the season that it’s been for both of them, what it means to be coaching and playing in a game like this today, they’re excited. I could see it in their faces, they’re excited to be a part of the game.”
In the 134 years since the Cape League’s inception, Chatham and Orleans has been the rivalry to watch. Now we know why. It’s more than just a game, it’s a piece of history.
Edlredge Park, the home of the Firebirds, adds its own level of historical significance. 139 years after America claimed its independence in 1915, Lewis Winslow Eldredge acquired 250 acres of land in the center of town, and saw it fit to build a baseball park. It wasn’t officially named Eldredge Park until 14 years later in 1929. Over 104 years have passed since the field was constructed, and each year, the field garners more and more significance.

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