The Cape Cod League All-Star Game at Fenway Park gave fans in Boston a chance to see some future stars. But for the players on display, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live the dream of every kid who has ever put on a Little League uniform.
"This is the kind of stuff you will remember for the rest of your life," said Harwich Mariners pitcher Braden Kapyten. "It's been one of the greatest experiences of my life."
Kapyten gave up the first run of the game in his only inning of work in the fifth, and was the losing pitcher in the Western Division's 5-0 win over the Eastern Division. But that didn't stop the tall right-hander from living it up on the big stage.
"My family and friends came all the way from Chicago for this," said Kapyten. "They know how important it is to me. It's important to everyone here."
Kapyten was one of 42 All-Stars to relish in the chance of playing in Fenway Park.
His Eastern Division teammate, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox shortstop Joe Panik, was robbed of an RBI single in the first inning. From the look on his face as he took photos with his family, signed autographs with fans and eagerly talked with reporters, you would have never known.
"Being out here with the best young players in the country, playing at Fenway, there's nothing better," Panik said with a grin that simply would not go away. "It's not about who won or lost. This was amazing for everyone."
Panik is from New York and attends St. Johns University. Needless to say, he had his own personal cheering section at the game, with 15 of his closest family and friends making the trip.
The All-Star Game really was a family affair. Cotuit center fielder and Western Division leadoff hitter Chad Wright looked like a wide-eyed youngster after the game.
Wright's family took the long drive from Paducah, Ky., to see him play in Boston.
"There's just so much history here," Wright said of Fenway Park. "I'm having so much fun. I was really anxious going into the game, but how can you not enjoy this?"
From the intense game in front of dozens of scouts, to the Home Run Derby before the game, to the roughly 10,000 fans who packed the grandstands behind home plate, everything about the Cape Cod League All-Star Game had a special feel to it.
