Anglers, Mariners And Firebirds Make East Division Playoffs; Whitecaps Fall Short

It came down to the final day of the regular season, but the stage is set for the Cape Cod Baseball League’s East Division playoffs.

Chatham is heading back to the postseason for the first time since 2019, while the Harwich Mariners and Orleans Firebirds punched their playoff tickets on Sunday night. Brewster will miss out on the postseason for the first time since 2019.

Although Yarmouth-Dennis has had a firm grasp of first place in the East Division for most of the summer, the Lower Cape’s four Cape League teams battled it out for the remaining three spots.

Under the direction of interim manager Eric Beattie, who took over for first-year manager Jeremy Sheetinger after he unexpectedly resigned July 24, Chatham secured the second seed after finishing the regular season with a 20-20 record.

Harwich (16-24) clinched the third seed with a 15-7 win over Brewster in Sunday’s regular season finale, while Orleans (15-25) earned the fourth seed with a 7-1 victory over Chatham in its final regular season game. Brewster finished two points shy of Orleans in the standings and missed out on the postseason after posting a 13-25 mark.

The four playoff teams will meet Tuesday in a single-elimination playoff to determine who advances to the East Division finals. Top seed Yarmouth-Dennis (24-12) will host Orleans at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and Chatham will welcome Harwich to Veterans Field at 7 p.m.

The last week of the season was full of drama as Harwich, Orleans and Brewster battled for the last two spots in the standings.

Despite going 8-5 in June, Harwich spent much of July in last place after starting the month with a 2-17 record, including a seven-game losing streak that the team finally snapped with a 2-1 win over Brewster on July 25.

That was a turning point for the Mariners, who earned the third seed after posting a 6-2 record in its last eight games.

Like Harwich, Orleans’ season was full of adversity. The Firebirds started 1-5 and entered July with a 3-9 record. A crucial 4-3 comeback win over Brewster on Aug. 1 put Orleans in the driver’s seat for the fourth seed, though the team didn’t officially clinch its postseason berth until it took care of business against Chatham on Sunday.

Brewster played its worst baseball of the summer down the stretch, finishing with a 1-11-1 record in its final 13 games. The Whitecaps still could’ve made the playoffs had they won and Orleans lost on Sunday, but they saw their postseason hopes vanish after falling to the Mariners in their finale.

A recap of Tuesday’s action will be posted on capecodchronicle.com after the single-elimination games are final. Check the website for updates throughout the postseason, and pick up a copy of The Chronicle for additional coverage and photos.