Guv Fuller Field
Falmouth, MA
Review by Gary
Falmouth, Massachusetts has seen baseball in its town since before the Civil War. These teams were mostly made up of local residents of Cape Cod, but every so often, a prominent player would join a roster, including future Hall of Famer Pie Traynor, who played for the Falmouth team and batted .447 in 1919. When the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) was founded in 1923, it consisted of only four teams, with Falmouth fielding one of them.
It was not until 1963 season that the CCBL was reorganized and sanctioned by the NCAA, becoming an official collegiate league. The Falmouth Commodores were born, along with nine other clubs. The Commodores chose to play its games in the city’s legendary downtown ballpark that was completed in late 1939 with assistance from the Work Projects Administration. They have played at Guv Fuller Field ever since.
Like every other Cape Cod League ballpark, admission to Commodores games is free and fans are invited to sit wherever they want that is not in the field of play. Aluminum bleachers run along each baseline are for traditional fan seating while almost as many visitors opt to sit in their own folding chairs between said bleachers or further down on grassy hills. In 2022, a ramp leading to the third base bleachers was added and walkways were installed all around the stands to make it more accessible.
For those wanting a shadier spot on sunny days, head for the left field corner where mature trees grow on the top of the berm. It is one of the most efficacious places to watch the action. The grounds of the ballpark are also used for high school football, so fans can choose to sit in the wooden bleachers down the right field line.
An enclosed press box rises two stories behind home plate. The open ground between the brick backstop and the press box is reserved for Major League scouts hoping to find the next Adley Rutschman (2017), Jacoby Ellsbury (2004) or Mike Flanagan (1972), all of whom played for the Commodores. Ample parking is available at the city’s police department and neighboring senior center for locals and tourists alike to take in a June or July game.
Guv Fuller Field can accommodate about 8,000 faithful, but that number probably includes those camping on the grass along with those occupying the stands. The players are readily available for photos as those not playing can be found in line at the concession stands or using the same facilities. Optimistic autograph hunters easily can acquire player signatures in hopes that they strike gold with a future Hall of Famer’s John Hancock on a baseball or program.
2024
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254
Landyn Vidourek is poised to swat a Grand Slam. Note the webcast on the computer showing that the bases are loaded.