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Cape Cod Baseball League celebrates 100 years as pathway from college to majors

AP photo by Michael Dwyer / Bourne Braves pitcher Bryce Cunningham delivers to the plate during a Cape Cod Baseball League game against the Chatham Anglers on July 12 in Bourne, Mass. For 100 years, the league has given top college players the opportunity to hone their skills and show off for scouts while facing other top talent from around the country.
AP photo by Michael Dwyer / Bourne Braves pitcher Bryce Cunningham delivers to the plate during a Cape Cod Baseball League game against the Chatham Anglers on July 12 in Bourne, Mass. For 100 years, the league has given top college players the opportunity to hone their skills and show off for scouts while facing other top talent from around the country. AP photo by Michael Dwyer / Bourne Braves pitcher Bryce Cunningham delivers to the plate during a Cape Cod Baseball League game against the Chatham Anglers on July 12 in Bourne, Mass. For 100 years, the league has given top college players the opportunity to hone their skills and show off for scouts while facing other top talent from around the country.

BOURNE, Mass. — Pete Alonso didn’t hit a home run the summer he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He made a different kind of connection.

On a day off during his time with the Bourne Braves during the summer of 2015, Alonso headed out to Provincetown, at the tip of the New England summer paradise. That’s where he met his wife.

“For me it was a disappointing summer because I expected to play well,” said Alonso, who returned to Florida and played himself into a second-round selection in the next year’s MLB draft. “But I thought it was awesome because I met my wife during that summer, and it was phenomenal.

“You get to play ball and create incredible relationships,” the New York Mets first baseman said. “It’s a super memorable baseball experience for any kid who gets to go out there and play. It’s super fun, it’s a super special place to play during summer.”

For 100 years, the Cape Cod Baseball League has given top college players the opportunity to hone their skills and show off for scouts while facing other top talent from around the country. Using wooden bats and riding buses like they would in the minor leagues, they get a sense of what pro ball might be like.