Some of the biggest moments in Crabs history didn’t take place on the baseball field. One of those moments came in 1995, when the Crabs organization was in danger of disappearing altogether.
When former Crabs pitcher Matt Nutter heard this news, he called his father Jerry and asked if there was anything that could be done to save the beloved community baseball team. That phone call put in motion a series of events that led to the formation of a new Board of Directors that ushered in a new era in Crabs baseball, one that continues nearly 30 years later.
Jerry Nutter became the president of the newly formed non-profit board, serving as president for seven years and continued to serve on the board until the day he passed away in 2012. Matt would eventually become the Crabs manager and recorded over 300 wins over eight seasons at the helm.
In recognition of the contributions Jerry, Matt, and the entire nutter family have made to the history of the Crabs, a new baseball was lifted onto the left field wall during a special pregame ceremony on Friday, July 12, joining three others, those of Lou Bonomini, Ned Barsuglia, and Ken “Shorty” Ames.
After a speech from former Crabs president David Sharp, Nutter recalled how the crowds grew over the years, from 12,000 the year the new board took over, to over 36,000 in Matt Nutter’s last season.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made a more impactful, more significant phone call in my life,” Matt Nutter told a crowd of nearly 1000 on Friday evening, “for myself, for my family, and for all of you.”
He’s not wrong.