PHILADELPHIA -- The score mattered on Sunday afternoon at Ryan Howard Field. It always does when the lines are painted, the umpires are in position, and players spend three hours competing to win.
But for the men who took the field for the Kensington Royals and Thunder Cats, the final score was only part of the story.
The two clubs are members of the Philadelphia Amateur Baseball League, a 12-team organization that provides former players an opportunity to continue competing long after their high school, college, and organized baseball careers have ended. Players are selected through a live draft, and the league's season runs from March through July before playoffs begin later in the summer.
For many participants, the league is about preserving a connection to a game that has remained part of their identity long after graduation.
Brendan Hoeler, a pitcher and first baseman for the Thunder Cats, joined the PABL after playing in high school. Today he works in marketing, but baseball remains one of the ways he decompresses from the demands of everyday life.
“[I] like to take my foot off the gas at the end of the day, throw a ball around, hit off the tees, stuff like that,” Hoeler said. “It’s just always been the way that I spend my free time. I still love doing it.”
Andrew Korn found the league online in 2023. An injury ended his playing career during high school, but the PABL gave him a chance to return to the field and rediscover the competitive side of the sport.
“It's a good league, it's competitive, solid baseball, if you haven't played in a little bit,” Korn said.
Korn works as a locksmith and said the flexibility of his schedule allows him to make time for practices and games. Just as importantly, the league provides a place to compete alongside teammates who share a similar passion for the game.
That passion was on display Sunday.
The Royals carried a lead into the ninth inning before the Thunder Cats battled back to tie the game. Kensington responded in the bottom half of the inning when outfielder Billy Lindoerfer delivered a walk-off hit to secure the victory.
“Competitive game,” Korn said. “Walk off, hats to Billy, [absolutely] ripped the ball to win it. Off the bat, it's a win once there's less than two outs and it's hit that deep with the runner on third.”
For Royals outfielder Rob Dingman, however, the lasting memory isn't necessarily the game-winning hit.
Instead, it's the people.
“This is the most encouraging group of guys on any sports team that I've ever been a part of,” Dingman said. “Even when we mess up, we never get down, we always stay positive, and that's why I'm here. It's because of all these guys.”
Like Korn, Dingman's baseball career was interrupted by injury. Years later, a chance connection at Everybody Hits, a former batting cage facility at Seventh and Girard, led him to the Royals. Eight years later, he is still playing.
“[I] joined the team, we played in a couple other leagues, and somehow we came across this league, and it's been the perfect fit for us,” Dingman said. “It's a great league, great group of guys on all the teams, and it's a lot of fun.”
Dingman now works in retail management and credits his family for helping him continue to play.
“I help to run a chain of art supply stores, and the only reason why I have the time to play is because my family is so cooperative,” Dingman said. “My wife is a total saint, and knows how important this is to me, and really helps me out to make this happen.”
That balance between work, family, and baseball is common throughout the league. While the competition remains intense, the players understand there is something larger at work.
For Hoeler, that is what keeps him coming back every week.
“It's not serious, and everybody's just here to have a good time,” Hoeler said. “I think that attitude with no pressure about it really makes every Sunday fun.”
The Royals may have left Ryan Howard Field with a victory on Sunday. But the larger success belongs to a league that continues to provide hundreds of former players a place to compete, reconnect, and keep the game in their lives.
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