Reed's boys were champs again in 1997, led by CCBL Hall of Fame slugger Carlos Peña. The sure-handed first baseman won the league MVP and Sportsmanship awards, and led the CCBL in homers (8) and RBI (33) while batting .318. The team also featured future major league all-star and Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito. The Gatemen finished the regular season first in the West Division, and after a two-game semi-finals sweep of Bourne, faced Harwich for the title. In the championship series, Wareham took Game 1 at home, 9–4. The Gatemen completed the title sweep in Game 2 at Whitehouse Field by a tally of 6–2, with playoff MVP Kevin Hodge's three-run blast in the sixth sealing the victory.