Diamond honors: Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame inducts six in Class of 2023
HARWICH — Jim Higgins had his fingerprints all over the Cape Cod Baseball League.
His first title with the league came in the 1970s when he volunteered as an official scorer. Over the next 40 years, Higgins went on to serve as head scorer, league publicist, and — for more than 20 years — senior vice president.
"He wasn't in it for the recognition and he wasn't in it for accolades. He was here because he cared and he was passionate," said Bill Higgins, former Cape Cod Times sports editor and Jim Higgins' brother.
On Sunday, Higgins, who died in March at 74, and five others were inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich.
Higgins was presented to the Hall of Fame by Bill Higgins. Accepting for Jim Higgins was his son, Brian, who was accompanied by Jim Higgins' wife, Colleen, and daughter, Courtney.
"Don't ever lose sight of the magic the Cape League creates for all those young kids … it just opens up a whole world," said Brian Higgins to a crowd of past Hall of Famers, family members, and more. "I just want to say thank you, my dad was so proud to play a small part in creating that magic."
Jim Higgins also played a large role in expanding the league from eight teams to ten, when Bourne and Brewster joined in 1998.
Other Cape League current and former members honored
Along with Jim Higgins, former Bourne Braves catcher Max Pentecost, longtime league executive Mary Henderson, former Chatham Anglers slugger Glenn Davis, former Orleans Firebirds pitcher Mitchell Jordan, and former Wareham Gateman player Lance Berkman were also inducted.
Brewster Whitecaps’ Billy Wagner was also recognized. He was inducted in 2022 but was unable to attend that ceremony because of a bout with the flu.
Hall of Fame committee member and former WBZ sportscaster Scott Wahle emceed the induction ceremony.
Wagner played 16 Major League Baseball seasons with the Astros, Mets, Red Sox and Braves. His best seasons were in 1999 in Houston when he recorded 39 saves with a 1.57 ERA and in 2005 with Philadelphia when he had a 1.8 ERA and 28 saves in a league-leading 70 games, according to the Cape League.
He was a seven-time MLB All-Star and won the National League Rolaids Relief Man Award in 1999. He was presented into the Hall of Fame by sportswriter and MLB Network personality Peter Gammons.
“The uniqueness of what Cape Cod does is life-changing,” said Wagner. “And it changed my life because I went from obscurity to being able to be one of the greatest players in baseball and have this honor and play with great players along the way.”
Max Pentecost
Pentecost was presented by his coach with the Bourne Braves Harvey Shapiro, who praised Pentecost as one of only three Cape Cod League catchers inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Pentecost arrived in Bourne in 2013 from Kennesaw State University and later won the Buster Posey Award, which recognizes the best catcher in college baseball. On the Cape, he finished the season among the top five in numerous offensive categories including batting average (.346), HRs (6), RBI (29), on-base percentage (.424), and slugging percentage (.538).
“I’m extremely honored for this opportunity, just as much as being inducted with the players I grew up watching on ESPN,” said Pentecost.
Mary Henderson was introduced by her friend, Harwich Mariners Field Manager Steve Englert. She became involved with the Cape League in 1982 as a host family for the Harwich Mariners and two years later became president of the Harwich Athletic Association, a position she has held for the past 40 years.
During Henderson’s time with Harwich, she has overseen franchise championships in 1983, 1987, 2008 and 2011.
“This league has been so close to my heart all this time,” said Henderson.
Glenn Davis
From the University of Georgia and Manatee Junior College, Davis helped lead the 1980 Chatham A’s to a first-place regular season finish before falling to Falmouth in the championship series. He finished second in the league in batting average that summer, hitting .37.
He was second in several other league categories, including runs (45), hits (61), and RBI (44). He tied for most home runs with 10.
“This league changed the whole course of my career, my life, and it set me on the right path to make it to the big leagues,” said Davis.
He went on to play first base for the Houston Astros for seven years and the Baltimore Orioles for three. He was an MLB All-Star in 1986 and 1989.
Davis was presented by his wife Teresa Davis.
Mitchell Jordan
Jordan, who was presented by his pitching coach with the Orleans Firebirds Bill Bray, pitched for Orleans during the 2015 Cape League season and captured the league’s Benjamin F.C. Whitehouse Outstanding Pitcher Award in leading Orleans to a first-place regular season finish in the Eastern Division.
He had a perfect 6-0 record in eight starts for the Firebirds, finishing the season with 46 strikeouts while walking just six batters over 43 innings. Mitchell was named CCBL Pitcher of the Week twice during the 2015 summer and was named to that year’s All-League team.
He was drafted in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and spent over four years in their minor league system. He currently is a proposal analyst with Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Florida.
“I'm so honored and humbled to be here included in this group,” said Jordan, adding he could not wait to bring his one-year-old son Nolan to the Cape to show him “how special this place really is.”
Lance Berkman
Berkman, of Waco, Texas, won the batting title with a .352 average for the Wareham Gatemen in the summer of 1996. He was named the National College Player of the Year in 1997 and hit .431 with 41 HRs, 134 RBI, and 109 runs, leading the Rice (University) Owls to their first-ever College World Series appearance, according to the league.
Berkman played 15 seasons for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. He is the head baseball coach of the Houston Christian Huskies.
He joked that his time on the Cape was instrumental in getting him the position with the Astros, saying he was supposed to have been drafted higher but only had one home run on the Cape leading scouts to think “he could not hit with power.”
“I fell to the Astros so thank you to the Cape Cod League for giving me the opportunity to not hit home runs,” joked Berkman.
Berkman was presented by Wareham Gatemen Organization member Sheri Gay.
Annual awards
Several annual awards were presented at the pre-induction brunch, including the Fred Ebbett Lifetime Achievement Award to Jeanette Lumb, vice president of the Harwich Mariner and Curator of the league’s Hall of Fame.
The Richard “Dick” Sullivan Executive of the Year Award was presented to Wareham Gatemen member Tom Crane, while the Peter Gammons Award of Excellence & Distinction was awarded to Orleans’ RogersGray Insurance, an Orleans-based company that has supported the league over the years.
Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz.
The Cape Cod Times mobile app gets you to the heart of the matter — fast. Whether breaking news, sports, entertainment or weather get succinct, personalized coverage along with award-winning videos, captivating photography, and interactive user features. Download the app.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame inducts six in Class of 2023
