One group of locals is hoping that Capital Region baseball fans will come out to a ballgame that’s 91 innings longer than usual—for a worthy cause, of course. The 100-inning game, which organizers are hoping to pull off in just four hours, takes place at the Central Park “A” Diamond (a.k.a. Buck Ewing Field) in Schenectady from noon to 4pm on Saturday, October 5.
The game was conceived to raise funds towards a $2500 college scholarship for a baseball player attending SUNY Schenectady. The fundraiser/scholarship honors the lives of Tim Andi, who was the baseball coach at SUNY Schenectady for 25 years and passed away this past March; his son, Ryan, who lost his battle with cancer in 2016; and Tim’s wife, Cathy, who unexpectedly passed away in September. “Tim put so many kids that went through community college into a position to attend and play ball at four-year schools,” says Steve Mittler, Tim’s daughter Shannon’s partner. “[But] the event’s really to honor all three of them now.”
Donations are being accepted on the Tim and Ryan Andi Scholarship Fund’s Facebook page, launched by Tim’s former student Dominick LeMorta, which has already raised nearly $1500. Game organizers are also selling spots in the main event for $30 per local ballplayer, with all the proceeds going towards the scholarship fund. During the game, there will also be barbecue and soda for spectators, as well as a pregame reception from 6-10pm on Friday, October 4 at Schenectady’s Backstage Pub (near Proctors).
Actually, this isn’t the first 100-inning ballgame that’s been pulled off in the Electric City. Back in 2015, Tim organized a marathon game to help offset travel and medical costs for his family, while his son Ryan was battling cancer at Boston Children’s Hospital. Recruiting many of his former and then-current students to play ball for a good cause, Andi ended up raising $10,000. (Tragically, Ryan passed away the following year.) And just a couple of years later, Tim found himself in need of assistance, too, as he battled a rare autoimmune disease. Many of the same players who participated in the ’15 game organized another one to help him offset the cost of treatments.
While the game is billed as a 100-inning affair, Mittler notes that past games haven’t quite hit the century mark, with players usually reaching the low 90s by the end of four hours. But at the end of the day, it’s the fun, camaraderie and cause that really matter. “We want to celebrate Tim and his wife and son at a happy place versus a funeral,” says Mittler.
