page_title: Falmouth Commodores
section_title: The Upper and Lower Cape League era (1946–1962)
hierarchical_section_title: Falmouth Commodores / History / Pre-modern era / The Upper and Lower Cape League era (1946–1962)
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional baseball player Russ Gibson
context_page_description: The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field in Falmouth.
  The Commodores most recently won the CCBL championship in 1980 when they defeated the Chatham A's in the championship series. The title was the team's sixth overall in the league's modern era, having won four consecutive league titles from 1968 to 1971. The team has been led since 1999 by field manager Jeff Trundy.
context_section_description: The Cape League was revived after World War II and was originally composed of 11 teams across Upper Cape and Lower Cape divisions. Falmouth's entry in the Upper Cape Division was known as the Falmouth All-Stars, as the players were a collection of stars from Falmouth's in-town "twilight league".
  Led by manager John DeMello, the All-Stars won the inaugural championship of the new Cape League in 1946. The team featured CCBL Hall of Famers Roche Pires and Manny Pena, both of whom became regular fixtures for the All-Stars during this period. Falmouth defeated Sagamore in a one-game playoff for the Upper Cape Division title, then met Lower Cape champion Harwich in the best-of-three championship series. Harwich took Game 1 at Brooks Park, 6–1, holding the All-Stars to just three hits. Game 2 was played on Labor Day at Falmouth Heights before a reported crowd of 3,000. Pires struck out seven, and was "seldom in trouble," as Falmouth capitalized on four Harwich errors to build an 8–0 lead before Harwich finally got on the board with a pair of homers in the seventh. The Harwichers rallied again in each of the final two frames, but Pires held them off and went the distance in a 10–6 win that knotted the series at one game apiece. After Game 2, a coin flip determined Falmouth would host Game 3 the following weekend, and the All-Stars sent Pires to the mound in the finale. The game was even at 3–3 through five frames, but again Harwich's errors were its downfall, leading to Falmouth rallies in the late innings that gave the All-Stars the 8–4 victory and the league crown. Falmouth's championship club was celebrated as playing a "forcing, aggressive type of ball" that "compared favorably with the old semi-pro teams" of Falmouth's pre-war era.
  In 1951, Falmouth entered a second franchise in the Cape League. Described as "young and spirited," the Falmouth Falcons were composed mainly of players in their late teens and early twenties. The team played for three years in the Cape League, sharing the Falmouth Heights field with the All-Stars. The 1951 Falcons were skippered by player/manager Charlie "Wig" Robb, and opened their inaugural campaign in respectable fashion by finishing the season's first half in second place in the Upper Cape Division. Robb was named a league all-star third baseman, and the team's outlook seemed promising. Falmouth native Charlie Borden, who had spent time as a minor leaguer in the Chicago Cubs farm system, took over managerial duties for the Falcons in 1952. After disappointing seasons by both Falmouth teams in 1952, a merger for the following season was discussed, but the Falcons were not keen to the idea. Town funds were appropriated for only one team in 1953, but the Falcons remained in the league through independent financial support, led by new skipper Phil White. The season would be the final one for the Falcons, as the teams were finally merged for the 1954 season.
  Fall River, Massachusetts native and future Boston Red Sox catcher Russ Gibson had just joined Falmouth in 1957 when he was signed by Boston. In his only game with Falmouth, he hit two home runs.
caption: Russ Gibson hit two homers in his only game for Falmouth in 1957.
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