Bronx Pitcher May Be Too Old

Stung by an umpire’s questionable call in the defeat that eliminated their team from the Little League World Series, Oceanside Little League officials were shocked Monday to learn that the virtually unhittable Bronx pitcher who defeated them, 1-0, may be 14 years old, two years older than permitted.

“The bad call was terrible, but this just makes it worse,” said Oceanside American Little League official Laurie Weseloh, a fragrance counter employee at Macy’s in nearby Carlsbad.

“It’s such a shame. Our kids deserve a lot better than this.”

Glen Mills, president of the Oceanside league, said any blame should be directed not at the pitcher, Danny Almonte, but at adults who run the Rolando Paulino Little League in the Bronx.

“If this is true, Little League has to been lied to,” Mills said. “But remember, it’s not the kid’s fault. He has the talent, but he was exploited by adults, and that’s a shame.”

On Monday, Little League World Series officials were shown an affidavit by a Sports Illustrated writer indicating that a Danny Almonte was born April 7, 1987, in the Dominican Republic town of Moca, league spokesman Lance Van Auken said.

Documents previously submitted to Little League by the Rolando Paulino league to prove Almonte’s eligibility showed him being born to the same parents in the same town on the same month and day as the Almonte in the affidavit provided by Sports Illustrated, but on April 7, 1989 instead of 1987.

According to Sports Illustrated, Almonte’s father, Felipe de Jesus Almonte, had registered his son’s birth twice, with the earlier record showing a 1987 birth date and the later one showing 1989.

The magazine wrote of the second entry: “The record, which was in the central office in Santo Domingo, stated that on March 21, 2000--just weeks before Danny moved to the U.S. and launched his spectacular career in the Rolando Paulino Little League--Felipe registered the boy’s birth again. This time, according to the birth record, Felipe claimed that Danny had been born on April 7, 1989, thus shaving two years off his son’s previously registered age.”

An official with the Rolando Paulino league questioned the magazine’s document.

“Rolando, before he lets the kids into the league, he gets the original birth certificate and a passport, because he doesn’t want these kinds of problems,” said Joann Dalmau, a spokeswoman for the Rolando Paulino team.

“What more can we provide, if we have provided an original birth certificate and a passport? Anything else is irrelevant. I don’t know what document they have, but they’re wrong,” she said.

The Oceanside all-star team, winner of 20 of 21 games, was eliminated in the U.S. semifinals Thursday as Almonte struck out 16 of 18 batters and gave up only one hit. Even with Almonte’s dominance, it took what television replays indicated was a missed call by the second base umpire to make the Bronx’s victory possible.

The game’s only run came in the fifth inning after an umpire did not notice when a Bronx runner appeared to miss second base. The umpire rejected Oceanside’s appeal for what would have been the third out. The runner scored on an infield single in front of home plate.

Without Almonte pitching, the Bronx was beaten Saturday by Apopka, Fla., which lost Sunday to Japan in the championship game of the annual tournament at South Williamsport, Pa.

Rumors had circulated throughout the tournament that Almonte was older than 12.

“The musculature and the poise just seemed unusual for a 12-year-old,” Mills said.

Van Auken said Little League also was faxed another document Monday similar to the one obtained by Sports Illustrated but showing Almonte being born in 1989.

“If this is the same Danny Almonte who played for Rolando Paulino Little League, then we have been deceived, and a fraud has been perpetrated on Little League and the millions of youngsters for whom Little League is so important,” Little League Inc. President Stephen Keener said.

Early in the tournament, Almonte pitched a perfect game against Apopka, the first in 44 years in the Little League World Series.

If Almonte is found to be ineligible, the Bronx team could be forced to forfeit its last win, the consolation game against Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Little League could even revoke the Rolando Paulino league’s charter.

But Van Auken said that given the documents in Little League’s possession, no immediate action would be taken.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.