Whitehouse Field - Harwich Mariners
- Paul Baker
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Whitehouse Field
75 Oak St.
Harwich, MA 02645
Year Opened: 1968
Capacity: 4,000
Baseball’s Original Mariners
Organized baseball games have been documented in the town of Harwich since the late 1800s. The “Harwich Town Club” took on rivals from other Cape Cod towns throughout the 1880s. The Cape League was formed in 1923, with a team representing Harwich first participating in 1927. Throughout much of the 1900s, teams representing Harwich played at Brooks Park.
Whitehouse Field is located on the campus of Monomoy Regional High School. The field is named for team benefactor Ben Whitefield, who donated the field’s original lights. A new scoreboard was donated in 1998 by former MLB commissioner Faye Vincent Jr. in honor of his father, who had been the captain of the Yale University baseball team in 1931.
In 1963, the “Modern Era” of the Cape League began. No longer were teams made up of Cape residents competing as “town teams,” but were to be made up of collegiate players from around the country. Over 100 players from Harwich have moved on to play in the Major Leagues. Some notable players to play in Harwich include Joe Magrane, Carlos Pena, Cory Snyder, Scott Kamieniecki, Ian Happ and Lou Lamoreillo. The Mariners have won five championships in the Cape League’s modern era, most recently in 2024.
Food & Beverage 3
There is a concession stand in the back side of the press box building. Fans can order many ballpark staples here, including hot dogs, burgers and sausage and pepper sandwiches. Since we’re on Cape Cod, you can pick up a cup of clam chowder here. Assorted snacks, candy and ice cream treats can be purchased here as well.
Cans of Polar Park beverages are sold at Whitehouse Field, along with root beer floats and slushes served in Harwich Mariners souvenir plastic cups. Alcohol is not served here at Whitehouse Field.
As is the case at all Cape League parks, fans are welcome to bring their own refreshments to enjoy at the game.
Atmosphere 3
As is the case at games all around Cape League, there’s a real small town, old school vibe here at Whitehouse Field. The game is the focus here in Harwich, and there’s not a lot to distract one’s attention from the action going on down on the field. This is baseball as it used to be, and that’s a big part of the appeal of visiting the Cape on a sunny summer day. You can watch the game, talk to your neighbors and watch the kids chase fall balls through the woods as future major leaguers compete on the field. The community feel of a game here is something you just don’t find in many other places.
Some may criticize Whitehouse Field and the other Cape League fields as glorified high school fields, but that’s part of their charm. They lend themselves to a simple game presentation. As mentioned before, there’s not a lot of distractions. Music plays between innings, and at a reasonable volume. The PA announcer limits his work to lineup and sponsor announcements. A scoreboard in right field displays basic game information. There’s a building near the entrance selling a good variety of Mariners merchandise, much of it featuring the old-school Mariners’ trident logo. Players roam the crowd throughout the game selling 50/50 raffle tickets. How often can you say you bought a raffle ticket from a Major League baseball player?
Neighborhood 3
Whitehouse Field is located in the village of Harwich Center, home of some of the most classically elegant architecture to be found anywhere on Cape Cod. The entire Center of the village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Buildings such as the Brooks Academy Museum and First Congregational Church provide examples of the Greek revival style seen here.
Beyond Harwich Center, the town of Harwich, located on the south coast of Cape Cod near the “elbow” of the Cape, has a population of just over 13,000 residents. During the summer, this figure swells to over 37,000. Harwich is a popular vacation spot due to its beaches and harbors. It is considered to be the birthplace of the Cape’s significant cranberry industry.
While there is no shortage of dining options throughout Harwich, the area around Whitehouse Field is a residential area, with nothing to draw visitors in the immediate area of the ball field. Fans will need to hop into their cars to access the many popular options throughout the area. The attractions of Harwich Port and the bustle of Route 28 are less than a ten-minute drive away.
Fans 4
The Mariners generally land in the middle of the Cape Cod League attendance rankings, drawing an average of around 1,500 fans per game. During Stadium Journey’s most recent visit, which occurred during the league semifinal playoffs, an incredible crowd of 4,434 packed every corner of Whitehouse Field.
As you’ll find at all the parks around the circuit, the crowd in Harwich is made up mainly of locals who have been coming to these games for decades. A big part of the fun here is watching the many children here chasing foul balls through the woods. If you’re looking to avoid the bigger crowds of the tourist season here on the Cape, we advise you try to visit early in the season, before school lets out. Trust me, there’s a big difference.
When you go to a Cape League game, it will seem like everyone knows everyone here. And in a lot of ways, it’s true. In fact, by the time you leave Whitehouse Field, chances are you’ll have met a few new people yourself. That small town vibe is contagious.
Access 4
Whitehouse Field is located on the campus of Monomoy High School in the village of Harwich Center. It’s located just over a mile from Route 6, the major access road that runs along the northern edge of Cape Cod. For fans coming from the more scenic and more traveled southern coast of the Cape along Route 28 and Harwich Port, Whitehouse Field is just two- and one-half miles from the south coast of the Cape. Visiting fans utilizing public transportation can take the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority’s Flex Route, which stops right at the High School/Community Center. Complete Driving directions to Whitehouse Field can be found here.
There is ample parking in the high school’s parking lot, with overflow parking available across the street at the Community Center. The ball field is set back a short distance in the woods, and fans will follow a path through a grove of trees to the park.
Seating is available in two sets of large bleachers on either side of the infield. Many fans will bring their own chairs and set them up in their favorite spots, either in a small area behind home plate a hill down either foul line. When there is a particularly large crowd on hand, you’ll find fans putting their chairs anywhere they can find space, including in the woods beyond the outfield fence. In a time-honored Cape tradition, fans will come to Whitehouse Field hours before game time, put their chairs or blankets in their favorite spot, and return later to find their seats untouched.
The grounds feature paved paths in the more heavily trafficked areas of the infield, but even the grassy areas are easily traversed. There is plenty of room all around the park for younger fans to release some excess energy, play catch, and chase foul balls. There’s even a little whiffleball field in the woods. A building containing rest rooms is located on the third base side of the facility. One negative to Whitehouse Field is tall fences and thick nets obstruct views from every spot of the facility. There are no unobstructed views to be had.
Return on Investment 5
There is no charge to attend a Cape League game. The team will happily accept a donation (the recommended donation is just five dollars). In exchange for your donation, you will receive a program and stat sheet. Parking is also free in the adjoining lot. Concessions and merchandise are very affordable, making a game in Harwich a most affordable entertainment option while visiting Cape Cod. In fact, if you choose to bring your own cooler, you won’t even have to reach for your wallet even once when visiting Whitehouse Field.
Extras 2
In 2024 a total of 415 Cape Cod League alumni played in the Major Leagues. This means that one out of every four players to play in the Majors spent a summer on the Cape. If you are going to a game here, you’re not seeing a few guys who might make it someday, you’re seeing an All-Star game every night of the summer.
A second extra point is awarded for the use of the old-school Seattle Mariners trident logo on the Harwich merchandise. Unlike some of the other Cape League teams that share a team name with their Major League Baseball brethren, the Mariners were exempt from paying royalties to MLB for the use of the name “Mariners,” as Harwich predated Seattle. I’m sure there is a licensing agreement to use these old logos, but that does not diminish the cool factor here at all.
Final Thoughts
The Cape Cod League is considered to be the premier summer collegiate baseball league in the nation. With one out of every four major leaguers today able to trace their roots to the Cape, the numbers bear out this claim. While the talent is certainly Major League, the feel at the ballparks is small town. A visit to Harwich bears this out, as you may arrive as a stranger, but you will leave as a member of the community.
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