GIBSONIA — Seneca Valley graduates Clair and Bob Altemus were all about baseball, even before their high school had a team.

“When we were in school, Seneca Valley didn’t have high school baseball yet,” said Clair, now 73 years old. “We played American Legion ball, then spent years in the Eagle County League.”

And they were pretty good. Both enjoyed MVP seasons and league championships with Middle Lancaster in the Eagle County League. Clair’s last season was in 1984. Bob, 69 years old, stopped playing in 1986.

Neither ever expected to play baseball again, moving on to other phases in their lives. Clair became head football coach and athletic director at Pine-Richland High School. Bob climbed telephone poles for Pennsylvania Power for 40 years.

But ... never say never.

Clair retired as Rams football coach in 2012 after retiring as athletic director that summer.

“I worked at home, from dawn to dusk, every day. I’d climb off the roof and go to practice ... I figured it was time,” he said of his retirement.

While at a family gathering, a cousin of Clair’s — Jim, living in Massillon, Ohio — told him of the Ohio Men’s Senior Baseball League, based out of Canton. The league has circuits based on age increments, including 50-55, 55-60, etc.

“It didn’t take him long to sell me on it,” said Clair, now living in Gibsonia. “By March (year after his retirement) I was getting antsy. I went to the batting cages in North Park to get some swings in, my legs were still strong, I figured, why not?”

After 29 years without baseball, Clair joined the league in 2013. Bob Altemus, who now lives in Harmony, joined the league in 2016, 30 years after he last played a game.

The two take the two-hour drive to Canton together. Their team, the Indians, plays at noon every Monday.

“We both love the game and would have probably returned as players earlier, but there’s no league for seniors around here,” Bob Altemus said. “There was a league for 35 and up in the South Hills, but we were in our 60s and weren’t about to play against guys in their 30’s.

“This league is perfect. Play began in May, runs through August, we play one day a week, then playoffs. Game times are perfect for us travel-wise.”

So they could play on the same team, Clair played in the 65-70 league until this season, when he bumped up to the 70-over circuit. Being 69, Bob was eligible to move up as well, though he is not permitted to play pitcher or catcher until he turns 70.

There are eight teams in the 60-over age range, and only four teams from 70-up.

“A lot of guys stop playing by that (age 70) time, so there aren’t as many teams,” Clair said. “The 70-over games are seven innings while all of the other age levels play nine.

“There’s a guy in our league who pitched for the Montreal Expos years back. He struck me out three times. But, usually, I do pretty good.”

The Canton Indians play their games in Canton’s Thurman Munson Stadium, the former home of the then Cleveland Indians Class AA affiliate. The league uses a limited-flight baseball that doesn’t travel as far or fast “so guys in the field don’t get killed by a line drive,” Clair said.

Runners are not permitted to steal second base. Besides that, all Major League Baseball rules apply to the league.

The Canton Indians were 2-3 through five games this season after failing to win a game the previous three years. There are 17 players on their roster.

“Our losses have been by one run,” Bob said. “One of those games, we had a 6-2 lead, but our starting pitcher got tired. We had no other pitchers there at the time, so we put an 83-year-old on the mound.

“He walked the bases loaded, walked a few guys in and we lost, 7-6. But that’s an exception. These games are pretty well-played and competitive in score.”

They are friendly in nature. Clair has been playing in the league for 12 years and recalls only one player ever getting thrown out of a game.

“The umpires are strict that way, too,” he said. “These games are clean. I’ve never seen a fight. Everybody supports each other.”

“Every person on that field loves baseball and we’re all just happy we can still be playing the game,” Bob said. “At one time, including my cousins, we had five Altemus’es playing in this league.

A middle infielder and outfielder for much of his 10 years in the league, Bob is playing first base this year. Clair previously played that position, but a finger issue preventing him from wearing a fielder’s glove has him playing as a designated hitter this summer.

The Altemus brothers are playing this season, despite Clair having a knee replaced in late December, and Bob having a hip replaced in January. They are among their team’s top hitters as Clair is hitting close to .400 and Bob closed to. 500.

While balls don’t clear the wall at Munson Stadium, inside-the-park home runs have occurred when the ball gets between the outfielders and roll to the warning track.

Neither brother is certain how many more years he will play.

“As long as the Good Lord allows,” Clair said. “This has been a true blessing. We are so fortunate.”