page_title: Hyannis Harbor Hawks
section_title: The early Cape League era (1923–1939)
hierarchical_section_title: Hyannis Harbor Hawks / History / Pre-modern era / The early Cape League era (1923–1939)
caption_attribution_description: English: 1933 Goudey baseball card of Frank "Shanty" Hogan of the Boston Braves #30. PD-not-renewed.
context_page_description: The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play their home games at Judy Walden Scarafile Field at McKeon Park. The team is owned and operated by the non-profit Hyannis Athletic Association.
  Hyannis most recently won the CCBL championship in 1991 when they defeated the Chatham A's two games to none to win the best of three championship series. The title was the third in team history, having won back-to-back league championships in 1978 and 1979. Hyannis joined the CCBL in 1976 as an expansion team, bringing the number of teams in the league at the time to eight.
context_section_description: In 1923 the Cape Cod Baseball League was formed and originally included Falmouth, Chatham, and two Barnstable teams: Osterville and Hyannis. Hyannis played home games at Hallett's Field on Main Street in downtown Hyannis, and Osterville played at West Bay Field in Osterville. After the 1930 season, the two teams merged into a combined "Barnstable" team, with home games being split between the two ballparks. Funding for town teams during this period was difficult to secure. Teams depended largely on the town itself to appropriate funds, and the impact of the Great Depression made this an especially difficult annual town decision. As a result, the Barnstable team was forced to withdraw from the Cape League for the 1938 season, but was back in 1939, though the league itself folded after that season.
  The town's teams had great success in the early Cape League, winning a combined seven league championships during the 17-year duration of the league. The Osterville team won the title in 1924 and 1925. Osterville and Hyannis agreed to share the title in 1926, as weather and the departure of college players for school prevented the scheduling of a decisive game. Hyannis took the title in 1927, and Osterville was back on top in 1928. The combined Barnstable team was league champion in 1934 and 1937. The Barnstable teams of this era were replete with college stars and semi-pro players, many of whom went on to major league careers. 
  Hyannis boasted a "parade of sluggers" that included Georgetown University football star Tony Plansky, who went on to play for the NFL's New York Giants. In 1999, Plansky was ranked by Sports Illustrated as the #25 all-time greatest sports figure from Massachusetts. He was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2001. Other Hyannis sluggers included NYU's Ken Strong, another collegiate football star who went on to a long NFL career and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brockton, Massachusetts native and Boston College shortstop Freddie Moncewicz played for Hyannis between 1923 and 1927, winning the league title as player-manager in 1926 and 1927, then played for the Boston Red Sox in 1928, and returned to his post as Hyannis player-manager in 1929. Newburyport, Massachusetts native Paddy Creeden joined Hyannis while still a student at Brockton High School in 1924. He played for Hyannis again from 1926 to 1930, and was described as a "very smart ball player, especially fast on his feet and one of the league's leading base stealers." After a brief stint with the Boston Red Sox early in 1931, Creeden returned to play with Barnstable for the remainder of that season. During the late 1920s, Hyannis played periodic exhibitions against well-known barnstorming teams such as the House of David, who defeated Hyannis in a 1927 contest, and the Philadelphia Giants, who played Hyannis in 1926, 1928 and 1929, and featured the celebrated battery of Will "Cannonball" Jackman and Burlin White. In 1929, Hyannisport summer resident and ex-Boston mayor John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald performed his well-known rendition of Sweet Adeline at a benefit concert for the Hyannis baseball team.
  Osterville's 1924 pennant winners featured Shanty Hogan and Danny "Deacon" MacFayden, a Cape Cod native from Truro. The pair had been teammates at Somerville High School, and led Osterville to the 1924 Cape League title. Hogan batted .385 on the season, was named team MVP, and reportedly smashed the "longest home run ever seen" at West Bay Field. He went on to enjoy a 13-year major league career, much of it with the hometown Boston Braves. MacFayden began his major league career in 1926 with the Boston Red Sox, and pitched for a total of 17 years in the major leagues, winning a World Series title with the New York Yankees in 1932. MacFayden was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2012. The 1925 CCBL champion Osterville squad featured CCBL Hall of Famer Pat Sorenti, Boston College center fielder Tony Comerford, and second baseman Art Merewether, who had played briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1929 Osterville team featured 
caption: Frank "Shanty" Hogan won a CCBL championship with Osterville in 1924 and later played for the Boston Braves. Osterville and Hyannis merged in 1931 to form a single Barnstable team.
exif: {}