News and Announcements
President & General Manager: Chuck Andre
Phone: 617-312-7156 Email: AndreChiefs@aol.com
Manager: Steve Gambale
Phone: 781-333-9623 Email: stephengambale@yahoo.com
Website: www.andrechiefs.com
Team Email: AndreChiefs@aol.com
Home Fields: Maplewood Park (Malden Catholic) Malden, MA
Pine Banks Park, Melrose, MA
Team Colors: Cardinal, Vegas Gold & White
Mailing Address
12 High Street
Medford, MA 02155
Staff
President & General Manager: Chuck Andre
Manager: Steve Gambale
Player/Coach: Nick Leva
Player/Coach: Tim Dunphy
Player/Coach: Tony Serino
Media Relations: Bruce Tillman
Website Design: Ian Roberts
Team Photographer: Jim Valente
The Chiefs’ name and outstanding baseball tradition have been synonymous since 1957. Carrying the Hosmer Chiefs name from 1958 to 1984 and the Andre Chiefs banner from 1989 to the present, the Chiefs have maintained a consistent atmosphere of professionalism and winning.
The Championships – Through the years the Chiefs have brought 19 baseball championships to the City of Medford, Massachusetts, including the 2012 and 2014 crowns. They have won 24 Suburban Twilight League or Intercity League pennants. Remarkably, the Chiefs have recorded a winning record and have made the playoffs in 50 of their 53 summers of playing baseball.
The Franchise– The Chiefs franchise carries a winning percentage of almost .700 over the 2,900 games they have played over seven decades. The franchise has won 19 League Championships. Thirteen of those came when they were known as the Hosmer Chiefs and the last six were won under the name of the Andre Chiefs. In 1966, the Chiefs were named as the top semi-professional team in America. From 1957-2018, they have had only five managers, Ernie Ardolino (1957-1960), Lenny Dempsey (1961-1967), Joe O’Donnell (1968-1981), Bob DeFelice (1982-1984) Chuck Andre 1989-2018. The franchise was named as the “Team of the Decade” for the 1960’s, 1970’s & 1990’s.
The Staff
Chuck Andre-President & General Manager (Boston College) Chuck completed his 28th year as manager in 2018. He steps away from the dugout in 2019 to focus on the Chiefs’ General Manager duties. Since 1989, he has a career managerial record of 659-365-69, piloted the club to 25 playoff appearances, 10 regular season pennants, and six Intercity League Championships. He won his 600th career game in June of 2016. A former right-handed pitcher, Andre played for the Chiefs in the 1970’s & 1980’s. He has missed the ICL postseason just three times as a player or manager in 36 Intercity League seasons. He was inducted into the Medford High School Hall of Fame in 1995.
Steve Gambale- Manager (University of Maine) Steve begins his first season as the Chiefs’ Manager in 2019. Retired as player in 2017. He has been with the organization for nearly two decades, earning the starting shortstop position right out of Medford High School in 2000. After spending a number of seasons on the Medford High Coaching Staff, he now doubles as an assistant coach at Central Catholic in the Spring. Played his college baseball for the University of Maine Black Bears.
Assistant Coaches
Nick Leva (Southern New Hampshire)
Tim Dunphy (Brandeis University)
Tony Serino (UMass-Amherst)
The Chiefs organization suffered a major loss in April of 2017 with the passing of longtime Bench Coach Steve Calabresi.
The Tradition– The Chiefs baseball tradition runs deep, as sons have followed their fathers and grandfathers in wearing the uniform. Over the years, playing for the Chiefs became a sandlot baseball fantasy place where batboys became players, ball boys became major league pitchers, and many became baseball legends. As former manager Joe O’Donnell (1968-1981) said at a Chiefs reunion banquet, “once a Chief, always a Chief.” Still today, Chiefs’ players from decades gone by return to watch their team play. There always seems to be a former Chief or two in the crowd.
Alumni– Through the years, Chiefs mystique, championships, and professionalism, has remained constant. Almost 600 semi-professional ballplayers at one time or another have worn the Chiefs uniform. It is estimated that over 120 of those players at some point signed a professional baseball contract. Two former Chiefs have even appeared in the World Series, Mike Pagliarulo with the Minnesota Twins in 1991 and Kevin McGlinchy with the Atlanta Braves in 1999. Pagliarulo returned to Chiefs as a member of the 2016 Coaching Staff before being named Hitting Coach of the Miami Marlins prior to the 2017 season.
Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic Located in Malden, Massachusetts– The Chiefs play their night games on the artificial surface of Maplewood Park that is located on the campus of Malden Catholic.
Pine Banks Park, Melrose, Massachusetts– The Chiefs also play some games at Pine Banks which is located on the Melrose-Malden line.
Record Book– The Chiefs have had three of the last seven ICL MVP’s. Jeff Bercume (2012), Jared Freni (2013) and Johnny Welch (2014). They also have bragging rights to two of the all-time winning pitchers in ICL history, Fred Knox (1957-1973) and Dave Marsters (1989-2008), who both recorded over 110 career ICL victories. Former Cleveland Indian outfielder Justin Crisafulli is the career home run leader with 91, hit leader with 567, and RBI leader with 417. For a complete history of the Chiefs franchise click on the “Chiefs History” tab above.
The Chiefs continue to develop young talent from the college level and at the same time showcase players with professional baseball experience. For information e-mail AndreChiefs@aol.com.
Chiefs Open 2019 Season on June 3rd vs Wakefield at Maplewood, 8:00 PM
The Chiefs 2019 season will open on Monday, June 3 vs the Wakefield Merchants at Maplewood starting at 8:00 PM.
The entire schedule is available at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com.
Welcome to Chiefs Baseball
19 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1968,1969,1970,1971,1973,1974,1979,1980,1990,1992,1995,1997,2012,2014
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Reds Eliminate Chiefs from Playoffs
The Watertown Reds unceremoniously brought the curtain down on the Chiefs’ disappointing 2018 season with a convincing 10-3 win on Sunday night at Maplewood. With the win, the Reds sweep the best of three series 2-0 and will now advance to meet the #2 seeded Wakefield Merchants starting Tuesday in the semi-final round.
For the Chiefs and their injury riddled pitching staff, it was their earliest exit from the ICL playoffs in over a decade. For the franchise, it was only the third time in 53 years that they concluded a season with a sub .500 record, ending up the campaign at 14-17. The only other losing marks in Chiefs’ seasons past were in 2006 and 2007 when they returned to the ICL with one of the youngest teams in league history after taking a two year hiatus.
Now to Sunday’s game.
The Chiefs actually held early leads of 1-0 and 3-1 before the Reds’ rallied and took advantage of some Evan Walsh wildness, with a couple of clutch doubles mixed in, to score five times in the fourth inning. They then added four more runs in the sixth, to take the series clinching win in going away fashion.
The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead when Matt Nuzzo hit a solo homer off Reds’ starter Nate Beck in the bottom of the first. The Reds tied things up at 1-1 in the top of the second. Josh Miller led of with a flare double off Nuzzo’s glove down the right field line and came around to score when Peter Copa airmailed a throw to third, trying to double up Miller after an infield grounder.
It looked like it could be the Chiefs night when they used three Watertown errors, a Juan Portes double, and a Leivi Ventura RBI single, to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
It was not to be when the wheels came off the Chiefs’ wagon in the top of the fourth. The Reds sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs, despite getting only two hits. Walsh experienced sudden wildness, walking four batters, hitting another, and giving up big doubles to Ben Johnston and Dan Chaisson in between. When the smoke cleared, the Reds had chased Walsh and had a 6-3 lead. Injured staff ace Jared Freni gamely came out of the Chiefs' bullpen in an attempt to relieve Walsh. But after throwing just two pitches something apparently gave out and Freni was forced to leave the game with what appeared to be an upper leg injury. Rookie Jack Fargo took his warmups from the mound after Freni’s departure and kept the Chiefs in the game for the time being when he got Logan Gillis on a long fly ball to Tony Serino, with two men on, to retire the side.
Beck walked Shane Stande to open the bottom of the fourth and was relieved by southpaw Nate Espelin. Serino greeted Espelin with a line single but the Chiefs’ last real threat of the night went by the boards when Nuzzo grounded into a doubleplay and Ben Waldrip flew out to deep left.
Fargo worked a sharp top of the fifth, aided by a doubleplay, and Espelin only allowed a two single to Ventura in the bottom of the inning.
The Reds put the dagger in the Chiefs’ season in the top of the sixth. A leadoff double by Sean Callahan-Montague, followed by a line single from Steve Tramontozzi, set the Reds up with runners on second and third with nobody out. The left-handed Waldrip replaced Fargo and a Kyle LaVigne single made it 8-3. A batter later Will Breenan put the game out of reach with a two-run homer to center that accounted for the 10-3 final.
Chiefs Chatter…..The Reds-Merchants best of five series will start on Tuesday at Trum Field at 8:15 PM….Alibrandis beat the Reading Bulldogs 7-3 to win that series 2-1 and advance to meet the Blue Sox in Lexington also on Tuesday…..Watch for the Chiefs’ season ending recap which is coming soon….
Watertown Takes Series Lead with 6-3 Win at Victory Field
Watertown, MA- The Reds scored three times in each of the third and fourth innings to take game one of their best of three series with the Chiefs 6-3 on Thursday night at Victory Field. The Chiefs now face a must win game when they host game two at Maplewood on Sunday night.
Chiefs’ starter Mitchell Clegg and the Reds’ Worth Walrod tossed zeros over the first two innings.
The Chiefs took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on singles from Shane Stande, Matt Nuzzo, and Johnny Welch. The Reds escaped further damage when Nuzzo got caught between second and third on nice block of a pitch by catcher Jake Miller before being picked off diving back to second to end the inning with Juan Portes at the plate.
The Reds took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Steve Tramontozzi led off with a single to right and came around to score on Kyle LaVigne’s long double. Ben Johnston then followed with another single to make it 2-1 Reds. Johnson scored the Reds third run of the inning when Miller’s hard-hit grounder skipped past shortstop Nate Witkowski.
A Will Breenan two run triple, a sacrifice fly from Johnston, and another Chiefs error, led to three more runs and a 6-1 lead in the Watertown fourth.
Walrod and Chiefs’ relievers David Kerns and Ben Waldrip kept the game at 6-1 until the Chiefs scored a couple of runs and made a late run when they brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh. Stande singled with one out and pinch-hitter Erick Ramirez drew a walk. Dan Haverty replaced Walrod and Nuzzo greeted him with a line single that loaded the bases. Waldrip was next and grounded to second for out number two with Stande scoring to make it 6-2. Welch then singled to left scoring Raimirez and cutting the lead to 6-3. With Portes at the plate representing the tying run, Haverty got him to line out to Gillis at second base to end the game.
Walrod went 6.1 innings to get the win. He was charged with all three runs, gave up seven hits, and struck out five. Clegg worked four innings and was tagged with the loss. He allowed six runs (four earned), seven hits, and struck out six.
Chiefs Chatter….Game two of the series will be played at Maplewood/Malden Catholic on Sunday at 8:00 PM. If the Chiefs win, game three will be contested back in Watertown on Monday at 7:30 PM……In Thursday’s other first round game, the Reading Bulldogs got a five-hit shutout from Jack Burke to blank Alibrandis 6-0. Game two of that series will be played at Morelli Field in Melrose on Friday night at 8:00 PM…..
