NAUGATUCK — Player introductions. A big crowd. A video board in center field. Former professional players in the dugouts. Peter J. Foley Little League truly got the “big league” experience Thursday.
Peter J. Foley won the Little Field, Big Experience sweepstakes over the summer. Sponsored by Major League Baseball in conjunction with the Scotts lawn care company and the MLB Players Alumni Association, the first-year event culminated with the Little League and the community celebrating with pre-game festivities, a Little League All-Star game and a postgame fireworks show at the field on Scott Street.
Over the past month, Scotts turned the infield grass a lush green and trucked in new clay for the infield dirt for the field, which is the oldest Little League field in New England.
“Not even as of right now, has it sunk in,” Peter J. Foley President Robert Didato said. “Winning this contest was a big deal in itself.”
It all started back in the spring when Mike Worobel, a coach and member of the Peter J. Foley board of directors, entered the contest on a whim. On May 23, Peter J. Foley officials got word that the Little League was named one of six national finalists.
After being named a finalist, word spread throughout the borough and the country to vote for Peter J. Foley. A total of 67,107 votes were cast, and one-third of them came from Naugatuck.
John Sass, vice president of marketing and communication for Scotts, said the level of support from the borough amazed him.
“About a year ago, we came up with an idea, right around playoff time, of how awesome it is to see guys play baseball at the ultimate level,” Sass said. “So, we said that we are going to bring that same experience to ‘Anytown, USA.’ A year later, I am blown away by what I see here tonight. Everybody here and this entire town should be super proud of everything you all have done.”
The game was divided into thirds: three innings by AA players, three by AAA and three by majors. Cameras for the MLB Network and a drone roamed the field filming for a special feature to be telecast at a later date.
Former major leaguers David Cone, a former pitcher with the Yankees and Mets, and former Red Sox player Kevin Millar served as honorary assistant coaches for the teams.
“The general theme tonight is to grow the game from the ground up,” Cone said. “A place like this, with its history, it needs to be nurtured.”
Professional announcers announced every batter and pitcher in the game, including one interesting fact about them, like whether they believed in aliens.
“It was very nerve-wrecking waiting for the results because we were not sure if we were going to win or not,” said little leaguer Connor Walker about the contest. “Now that it is happening, it is super exciting. We even got to leave school early.”
“I was a little nervous because of all the people here,” fellow little leaguer Joe Casso added. “Usually there is not that many people here. So, seeing all these people here tonight is amazing. I feel like all of Naugatuck and even all of Connecticut wanted to see this happen for us.”
Pat Dean, who played at Peter J. Foley and just finished the 2019 season pitching for the Colorado Rockies Triple-A club, came back to celebrate with other former players, some who played in the 1960s.
“This whole environment is just incredible,” Dean said. “The field looks fantastic. The kids and the parents are having a blast. It is amazing seeing all the alumni coming back. I feel like a big fan right now and I am just enjoying it.”
Rain threatened to put the game on hold, but over a dozen volunteers worked to get the field ready for game time.
Didato said it’s the volunteers that made the night possible, adding the Little League didn’t win the contest by the luck of the draw.
“To get here to tonight, it took the dedication and commitment of all Foley families and volunteers,” Didato said. “Us winning this contest was not so much about getting our field updated but about a little league that deserved to have this happen to them. Even though this was a sweepstakes, I feel it was earned.”
The Republican-American contributed to this article.
