Two Decades In, 100 Innings of Baseball & the Battle Against ALS Continues

In the 20th annual game, our ALS partner was, once again, the Angel Fund. Ratt Kennedy has served as the president of the Angel Fund for over 20 years. Ratt lost his father to ALS and, later, his youngest brother to ALS in 1995. He has worked tirelessly to raise money for Dr. Brown and his staff at the UMass Medical Center in the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research. In a cruel twist of fate, while training for his 31st Boston Marathon in January 2016, Ratt began to feel a tingling sensation in his legs. This sensation worsened over the subsequent weeks, and his worst fears were confirmed when he was diagnosed with ALS in April 2016, carrying the familial gene.

Since 2012, Ratt has been alongside Walter Bentson, our chief umpire, who was also diagnosed with ALS. At midnight, Walter came out to umpire for one batter, with his sons batting and pitching and his daughter catching.

In 2023, a total of 27 players were brave enough to play all 100 innings. This group included Scot Leslie (playing for the 4th consecutive year) and Mike Santarpio (playing for the 2nd consecutive year), who both played all 100 innings in the field. More than 100 players particated in the game overall, with lineups expanded to about 30 batters on each team during peak times.

Additionally, fifteen 6-man umpiring crews from throughout Massachusetts rotated in every two hours to support Walter. Walter donned the umpiring gear himself at midnight, even in the pouring rain, for his annual appearance behind the plate.