For Washington pitcher, Babe Ruth World Series runs in the family

Washington pitcher Brooks Pinski stood aside the pitcher's mound before the Farmers' Babe Ruth World Series game against the Alabama Rawdogs on Thursday, August 17.

He was watching his grandfather, Terry Clem — who taught him the game of baseball since he was four years old — throw out the first pitch, waiting to hug him in front of the Capaha crowd.

The two represented a unique connection between Babe Ruth World Series' past and present. Pinski started for the Farmers during their 7-6 win over Australia on Wednesday. Clem played in the 13-15U tournament back in 1957, when it was held at Ann Arbor, Michigan. He came back after over six decades to see his grandson compete in the same event.

Terry Clem, who played in the 1957 Babe Ruth World Series, throws out the first pitch in front of his grandson, Washington pitcher Brooks Pinski, on Thursday, August 17, at Capaha Field, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

"66 years since I played," Clem said, "and then here they come along and go to the same event. The only difference is I was in the 13-15 age group."

Pinski's younger brother, Cooper, caught Clem's pitch.

"It was a strike," Cooper said. "It's just awesome how he can still do it from 1957 all the way to 2023."

The Pinski brothers learned baseball through Clem.

"It's been awesome hearing about his stories and being able to play for him," Pinski said. "I just remember being able to wake up and go to his house before school. He would give me a mitt and we would just play catch and whatnot. So he's been there since Day 1, just having me out there and playing ball."

Terry Clem, who played in the 1957 Babe Ruth World Series, embraces his grandson, Washington pitcher Brooks Pinski, after throwing out the first pitch on Thursday, August 17, at Capaha Field, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Pinskis moved from Seattle to Brewster, a town in eastern Washington with a population of around 2,000, which in SEMO terms, is smaller than Chaffee.

"I went from a 4A school graduating like 1,000 kids to like 30. So it's been a big difference," Pinski said. "It was a little tough in the beginning but I definitely was looking forward to it. I'm really thankful that we did the move."

Pinski said what he liked the most about living in Brewster is the sense of community.

"People actually care about each other," Pinski said. "People look out for one another and there's always fun things to do with people that care about you and trying to build you up."

On the other side of Spokane is Wallace, Idaho, a small mountain town where Clem grew up and represented in the 1957 Babe Ruth World Series. Idaho has been represented in the World Series only five times in its history, and the fact that Wallace is one of them remains a point of pride.

"We have class reunions, and that's a subject that is still talked about because it was so unusual for a small school to get that far," Clem said. "We're kind of like heroes year after year after year and there aren't many of us left."

To even get there, Clem's team drove 90 minutes from Wallace, Idaho, to Spokane, Washington, then took a train ride to Detroit, Michigan, that lasted 1 1/2 days. Clem and his teammates were only accompanied by the coaching staff during the trip.

The 1957 Babe Ruth World Series was held at the campus of the University of Michigan and played at the Wolverines' baseball field. Baseball legend Bob Feller threw out the first pitch from a helicopter in the air, and during the week, Clem's team got to see Al Kaline and the Detroit Tigers.

"The treatment that we got was first class," Clem said. "That year, the sponsor was Buick and Coca-Cola, and we had unlimited cokes in our dorm room. We stayed at the University of Michigan because there was nobody there. The Buicks were convertibles and they took us everywhere we wanted to go, to all these events that they had staged. So that was kind of cool."

Washington Farmers pitcher Brooks Pinski delivers a pitch against the Aussie Drop Bears on Wednesday, August 16, at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Washington had to win two games on Friday to advance to Saturday's semifinal round. Tyson Schertenleib drove in the only run of the Farmers' 1-0 win over Virginia. Pinski threw three hitless innings to set the tone for their 4-2 upset win over top-seeded California.

"What was working was my fastball," Pinski said. "It's been a battle for sure. My last outing was rough and I just had to get up there and battle through the day."

Carson Boesel drove in three runs on a triple, his only hit of the game against California. He was a combined 1 for 6 on Friday.

"I haven't had a hit all week," Boesel said. "Started to feel myself in the cage before games so I knew today I was going to have a big hit for my team."

If Washington defeats the Southeast Tropics in the semifinal at 12:30 p.m. at Capaha Field on Saturday, they will face the winner between Asia Pacific and defending champion Alabama for the title at 6:30 p.m..

"It'll mean everything for us to win this thing," Pinski said. "Everyone's leaving for college and we want take something great home, back to a little small town that we come from."

A loss puts the Farmers in the 3rd place game at 3 p.m.