A different game

WESTMINSTER — The most important takeaway from Tuesday night’s Senior Babe Ruth Baseball game between Wicks Welding and Solid Rock Construction was not the final score or Payton Manca’s offensive pyrotechnics, it was the fact that youth baseball was actually being played in the Greater Gardner area.

For the record, Wicks Welding (Westminster team No. 1) won the game between these two 15-18 year-old division rivals, defeating Solid Rock Construction (Westminster team No. 2) by a score of 13-2. Manca belted two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. He pitched two scoreless innings, striking out six batters.

After months of social and athletic prohibitions, stay at home orders, social distancing, and lots of talk about flattening the curve, the Senior Ruth division of the Central Mass. Baseball League (CMBL) began its 2020 season.

The CMBL has two divisions — the 13-15 year-old division and the 15-18 year-old division.

Teams in the 13-15 year-old division represent the communities of Ashburnham and Westminster (Ash West team Nos. 1 and 2), Ayer/Shirley, Clinton, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg, Narragansett, Pepperell, Sterling and Townsend.

Teams in the 15-18 year-old division represent several communities and regions, including Ayer/Shirley, Clinton, Fitchburg, Groton-Dunstable, Leominster, North Middlesex, Pepperell, Quabbin (two teams), Sterling, Westminster (two teams) and Winchendon.

While the baseball itself seemed like it hasn’t missed a beat — Tuesday night’s game had strikeouts, home runs and defensive gems — adapting to the social protocols brought on by the coronavirus and the resulting pandemic won’t be as seamless a transition.

“I think we’ll be learning a lot about how this is going to work as we go along,” Wicks Welding manager Geoff Tobia said prior to Tuesday’s game. “We’re all on the same page with the safety precautions and the protocols that have to be used to keep everybody safe, it’s just logistically how some of these things are going to work during the game. We’ve never been through this before and we’ll all be learning as we go.”

During Tuesday’s game some players wore masks while at bat and running the bases, but most did not. Some players wore masks while in the dugout, others did not. Several times players gathered in groups of two or three without masks and had to be reminded by coaches and spectators about the need to be six feet apart or be wearing a mask when gathering and being less than six feet apart.

“The kids are fired up to be playing, but it’s going to be different from the game they’ve played all their lives and they know that, but everybody’s happy that there is baseball going on,” Tobia said. “We have to keep reminding the kids about social distancing. We have to keep reminding them that there are no fist bumping, no high-fiving, no chewing seeds or gum, and no spitting. Those are all things that we really have to think about because when you’re playing ball it’s all so automatic.”

In the stands some folks followed the social distancing protocols we all have come to know by heart, wearing masks and sitting six feet apart when not surrounded by immediate family, others did not, often sitting closer than six feet to complete strangers, often not wearing masks. Some fans remedied this situation by bringing their own chairs and sitting an ample distance away from their nearest neighbor.

“We’re encouraging people to bring their own chairs and spread out around the perimeter of the field,” Tobia said. “I think that will be the best way for everyone to enjoy the games.”

The new normal, especially when it comes to youth baseball, seems to be a work in progress.

Tobia said there is only one real actual on-the-field change in the game — pitch counts.

In the 15-18 year-old division, a player can throw up to 25 pitches without having to take a day off. Players throwing 25-40 pitches will be required to observe one day’s rest, 41-60 pitches will require two days’ rest, 61-80 pitches three days’ rest, and 81-105 pitches four days’ rest.

“We decided to institute pitch counts because usually these kids have a few months of spring ball under their belts before they start playing,” Tobia said. “We’re a little concerned about players getting hurt. So, we’re going to try to keep the number of pitches down and increase the amount of rest between outings.”

Tobia, whose son Jack — a 2020 graduate of Oakmont Regional — is a member of Wicks Welding, said he thought long and hard about coaching this season amid all the uncertainty that is facing the nation.

“I think everybody had to ask themselves the question, ‘do I want to do this?’ Certainly, if we were going to have a league I wanted to be involved,” said Tobia, who has coached in the Westminster youth baseball program for more than 10 years. “But at the same time, I have a mother who is 80 years old. Everybody has those concerns about family members. We all wanted to make sure if we were going to be involved in this, we were going to be able to do it safely. That goes for the kids and the coaches and the umpires and the spectators.

“I wanted to be coaching these kids. I’ve been coaching this group of kids for a long time, some since they were seven or eight years old,” Tobia said. “So, I certainly wanted to be involved.”