The 2025-26 stickball season is about to get underway. The opening day of the 24th season of the Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball League is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2. It would have been the league’s 25th season had the 2020-21 season not been canceled due to the pandemic.
As in years past, the games will be held at Village Park in Wellington. On opening day, Wellington Mayor Michael Napoleone will throw out the first pitch in game one, while Wycliffe Golf & Country Club General Manager Rob Martin will throw out the first pitch in game two.
Game one, between the Atlantic Whalers and the Brooklyn Bums, will start at 1 p.m., while the second game, featuring the Hoboken Zephyrs and the Bronx Clippers, will begin at 2:30 p.m. The fifth team in the league, which has a bye on opening day, is the New York Egg Creams.
The general public is welcome to come and watch the games. There is no charge to attend. All the regular season games will be held on Tuesday afternoons.
According to Wycliffe Stiffs spokesman Arthur Spector, each of the five teams in the league will play 13 regular season games.
To date, 76 players are registered to play in the upcoming season.
Two individuals have played in every stickball season since the league’s inception back in 2002. They are Harry Klaff and Marty Ross. Ross — nicknamed “The Commish” — has strong feelings about the importance of the Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball League in the daily lives of its participants.
“We are dedicated to keeping stickball a tradition, not just a game,” Ross said.
This year, the oldest player is 95-year-old Gil Seidman, and the youngest player is 41-year-old Sean Siegrist.
Of the 76 participants in the 2025-26 league, 24 of them are current members of the Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball Hall of Fame. The 2026 Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
The last regular season game is scheduled for March 10, 2026, with the league championship game played on Tuesday, March 24.
