Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
Hub AI
Danny Almonte AI simulator
(@Danny Almonte_simulator)
Hub AI
Danny Almonte AI simulator
(@Danny Almonte_simulator)
Danny Almonte
Danny Almonte Rojas (born April 7, 1987) is a Dominican-American former baseball player who is an assistant baseball coach at Cardinal Hayes High School in New York City. Born in Moca in the Dominican Republic, Almonte was a Little League pitcher who threw up to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h). Considered a phenomenon as he led his Bronx team to a third place finish in the 2001 Little League World Series, Almonte was revealed to have actually been two years too old to play Little League baseball. Although there were many allegations during the 2001 Series, the truth was not revealed until weeks later.
In 2000, Danny Almonte moved to The Bronx, New York City, where he began playing Little League Baseball. His father, Felipe, who had moved to the US six years earlier, had begun a youth baseball league in Moca that still bears his name.
Almonte threw a no hitter in the 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional finals against State College, Pennsylvania, sending his team to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With his high leg kick and a fastball that reached a top speed of 76 miles per hour (122 km/h)—the equivalent, for that distance, of a 102 mph (164 km/h) major-league fastball)[dead link]—the 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) Danny soon became a sensation. His imposing frame won him the nickname "Little Unit," a nod to Randy Johnson, nicknamed "Big Unit".
In a round robin game four days later, Almonte threw the first perfect game in the Little League World Series since 1979, against the team from Apopka, Florida. However, his team was defeated by the same Florida team in the U.S. championship game—Almonte could not pitch in the championship game under Little League rules, as he had pitched a complete game the day before.
Almonte completed the tournament with 62 strikeouts (out of 72 batters faced), giving up only three hits in three starts, and only one unearned run. His team, nicknamed "the Baby Bombers" because they played in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, was the feel-good story of the tournament, and were honored before a New York Yankees game shortly after the Series. They also received the key to the city from Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Almonte's imposing appearance and command on the mound, as well as the velocity of his fastball, led to rumors that he was older than 12 years old, the age limit for Little League Baseball. A team from Staten Island hired a private investigator to look into the ages of the entire team. A similar investigation was conducted by a team from Pequannock Township, New Jersey. Neither turned up any evidence that the players were too old. Rolando Paulino, the league president, adamantly insisted that Almonte had been born on April 7, 1989. Paulino was initially backed by Little League and Dominican officials, who said the Baby Bombers had followed all proper procedures regarding age verification. Officials at Little League headquarters even took the unusual step of checking each of the player documents due to the rumors surrounding the team. Little League officials had increased scrutiny of player eligibility after the 1992 Series, in which the champions from Zamboanga City in the Philippines were stripped of their title due to a large number of out-of-district and overage players.
Reporters from Sports Illustrated went to the civil records building in Moca two weeks after the end of the 2001 Series. They discovered a notation in the birth ledger showing that in 1994, Felipe Almonte had registered his son's birth date as April 7, 1987, at Dr. Toribio Bencosme Hospital—which would have made him 14 years old at the time of the 2001 Series. It was common for Dominican parents to wait years before registering the birth of a child. Their report, posted on the magazine's website just before being published, triggered a full investigation by Little League, even as Almonte and his teammates were being feted in the Bronx. Almonte's mother, Sonia Rojas Breton, owned a handwritten birth certificate saying that he had been born at home in Jamao with the help of a midwife in 1989. She had registered Danny's 1989 birth date in 2000.
Both of Almonte's parents, though separated, insisted their son was born in 1989, condemning the other documents as false. Felipe Almonte appeared on Good Morning America at the time of the investigation, proclaiming his son's innocence.
Danny Almonte
Danny Almonte Rojas (born April 7, 1987) is a Dominican-American former baseball player who is an assistant baseball coach at Cardinal Hayes High School in New York City. Born in Moca in the Dominican Republic, Almonte was a Little League pitcher who threw up to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h). Considered a phenomenon as he led his Bronx team to a third place finish in the 2001 Little League World Series, Almonte was revealed to have actually been two years too old to play Little League baseball. Although there were many allegations during the 2001 Series, the truth was not revealed until weeks later.
In 2000, Danny Almonte moved to The Bronx, New York City, where he began playing Little League Baseball. His father, Felipe, who had moved to the US six years earlier, had begun a youth baseball league in Moca that still bears his name.
Almonte threw a no hitter in the 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional finals against State College, Pennsylvania, sending his team to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With his high leg kick and a fastball that reached a top speed of 76 miles per hour (122 km/h)—the equivalent, for that distance, of a 102 mph (164 km/h) major-league fastball)[dead link]—the 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) Danny soon became a sensation. His imposing frame won him the nickname "Little Unit," a nod to Randy Johnson, nicknamed "Big Unit".
In a round robin game four days later, Almonte threw the first perfect game in the Little League World Series since 1979, against the team from Apopka, Florida. However, his team was defeated by the same Florida team in the U.S. championship game—Almonte could not pitch in the championship game under Little League rules, as he had pitched a complete game the day before.
Almonte completed the tournament with 62 strikeouts (out of 72 batters faced), giving up only three hits in three starts, and only one unearned run. His team, nicknamed "the Baby Bombers" because they played in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, was the feel-good story of the tournament, and were honored before a New York Yankees game shortly after the Series. They also received the key to the city from Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Almonte's imposing appearance and command on the mound, as well as the velocity of his fastball, led to rumors that he was older than 12 years old, the age limit for Little League Baseball. A team from Staten Island hired a private investigator to look into the ages of the entire team. A similar investigation was conducted by a team from Pequannock Township, New Jersey. Neither turned up any evidence that the players were too old. Rolando Paulino, the league president, adamantly insisted that Almonte had been born on April 7, 1989. Paulino was initially backed by Little League and Dominican officials, who said the Baby Bombers had followed all proper procedures regarding age verification. Officials at Little League headquarters even took the unusual step of checking each of the player documents due to the rumors surrounding the team. Little League officials had increased scrutiny of player eligibility after the 1992 Series, in which the champions from Zamboanga City in the Philippines were stripped of their title due to a large number of out-of-district and overage players.
Reporters from Sports Illustrated went to the civil records building in Moca two weeks after the end of the 2001 Series. They discovered a notation in the birth ledger showing that in 1994, Felipe Almonte had registered his son's birth date as April 7, 1987, at Dr. Toribio Bencosme Hospital—which would have made him 14 years old at the time of the 2001 Series. It was common for Dominican parents to wait years before registering the birth of a child. Their report, posted on the magazine's website just before being published, triggered a full investigation by Little League, even as Almonte and his teammates were being feted in the Bronx. Almonte's mother, Sonia Rojas Breton, owned a handwritten birth certificate saying that he had been born at home in Jamao with the help of a midwife in 1989. She had registered Danny's 1989 birth date in 2000.
Both of Almonte's parents, though separated, insisted their son was born in 1989, condemning the other documents as false. Felipe Almonte appeared on Good Morning America at the time of the investigation, proclaiming his son's innocence.