Stars Get a Rousing Welcome

The San Diego Stars returned home Monday night after winning the International Boys’ Baseball Friendship Tournament in Beijing, China and were greeted by television camera crews, reporters and a crowd of about 200.

After 21 hours of traveling, the Stars, an 11- and 12-year-old all-star team, emerged from the jet-way tunnel at Lindberg Field’s Gate 9. Dressed in their gray, red, white and blue uniforms the Stars were greeted with smiles, hugs, kisses, banners, posters, and flags.

“It was neat,” said outfielder Shane Stroberg, 12. “We knew there would be some kind of celebration, but nothing this big.”

Coach Lyle Gabriel said: “We could hear the people screaming before we got off the plane. An older couple from La Jolla who have been avid baseball followers in San Diego for years told me later, ‘Never in the history of San Diego youth baseball has there been a reception this big.’ ”

The Stars won five games in the tournament’s round-robin pool play. They played often without water in temperatures of more than 100 degrees and on an all-dirt, unkempt playing field. They dominated teams from the Philippines, Japan, Denver, Los Angeles and Tianjin, China by a combined score of 52-13 to advance to the championship game against Beijing.

In that game, the Stars took a 4-0 lead over Beijing, which won last year’s inaugural tournament. Then in the third inning, the Stars got a lesson in the home field--make that country--advantage. After the Stars opened the inning with a double, the Beijing manager brought in a nonroster pitcher, who hadn’t played in the tournament.

Gabriel and American players and fans said they thought the player was at least three years over the 12-year-old age limit. “He was about 5-foot-9, weighed about 165 pounds and looked to be about 17 or 18 years old,” Gabriel said.

Larry Haley, a shortstop and pitcher, said: “He was throwing the ball real, real hard.”

The Stars could not score against him. In the bottom of the third, Beijing loaded the bases with no outs. Gabriel brought in Haley from the bullpen. Haley, who had pitched well in relief through the tournament, struck out the first batter and got the next batter to ground into a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play.

In the sixth and final inning, Beijing trailed, 4-3, and had the tying run at third with no outs. An attempted squeeze bunt was popped in front of the plate. Catcher Rob Crawford made a diving catch, got up and tagged the runner coming down the third base line. Reliever John Pellegrin got the next batter to ground to short to end the game.

Haley won the most valuable player award. He hit .600 with a home run, a triple and 2 doubles in addition to his solid relief pitching. Shane Stroberg hit .583 with 2 home runs and 2 doubles. Danny Sponsel won 3 games as a starting pitcher and hit .538 with 2 home runs and 2 doubles. Pellegrin had 2 home runs (the Stars led all teams with 8), pitched a 4-hitter in a 4-1 victory over a tough Tianjin team and got the save in the championship game.