International pastime

Firemen’s Field hosted a travel team from the Dominican Republic last week, which took on a team of Valley Stream’s own young baseball stars.

The local squad was led by Little League coaches John Faust and Ray Russo, who assembled a lineup of 15- and 16-year-olds, many of whom were members of the Little League’s senior boys’ team that was the runner-up in July’s district championship. “The kids in this town always want to play,” Faust said.

The Dominican Republic team, Los Delfines, began play in the U.S. on Aug. 14, with games in New York and Pennsylvania. The matchup against Valley Stream on Aug. 25 was the visitors’ 17th game in a range of age groups.

Esteban Saint, the United States coordinator for the team, said that many of the players come from Caballona, a small and mostly poor city northwest of Santo Domingo, the country’s capital. “Most of the these kids’ parents make sacrifices just to give them a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this to the United States,” Saint said.

He noted that the 27 players on the Dominican team, who range in age from 10 to 16 and stay with host families, have never played on well-groomed fields like those in the U.S. Their trip abroad also shows the children that there is a chance for a better life, Saint said. Some of the players had the chance to meet major league pitcher Pedro Martinez of the Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. Martinez is from a town near theirs in the D.R., Saint explained.

Domingo Almanza, known as “Punga” in his hometown, is the team’s coach. He said he enjoys giving his players the chance to compete against different teams. “A lot of the youngsters are here for the first time,” Almanza said as Saint translated. “They’ve had a nice experience.”

Faust noted that Saint had contacted him through the American Federation of Umpires, to which both men belong, about setting up a game while the team was in the area. Four AFU umpires donated their time to officiate the game.

Against Valley Stream, Los Delfines fielded a team of 15- and 16-year-olds. Valley Stream won the game, 9-4, but Saint said the score didn’t matter. “Myself, I don’t care who wins or who loses,” he said. “The idea is for them to have the experience.”

The local players welcomed the chance to get another game in before the summer ended. Catcher Doug Medrano, who will enter Central High School this year, said it is great to see how athletes from another part of the world play the game. Medrano noted that the Dominican players were very disciplined. “It seems like they practice every day,” he said.

Eric Agueros, who pitched the first four innings, agreed with his battery mate. “They don’t make any mental mistakes,” he said of the Dominican players. “They made all the plays they had to.”

Agueros, who gave up four runs in the first inning, settled down and held Los Delfines scoreless after that. Medrano put his team ahead for good with an RBI single.

Russo said that the teams seemed fairly evenly matched, and both sides hit the ball well. “It shows that baseball is the same here as it is in the Dominican Republic,” he said.

After the game, the players shook hands, then enjoyed pizza together in the Firemen’s Field Clubhouse. The game was co-sponsored by the Valley Stream Little League and American Legion Post 854. Faust thanked Little League President Steve Dignam and Legion Commander Ron Feltington for their contributions. “Without them it’s not possible,” Faust said. “This is what towns are all about. It’s for the kids and the community.”