1992 Little League World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1992 Little League World Series took place between August 24 and August 29 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
.
The Little League baseball
team representing Zamboanga City
won its way through national trials, the Far East series, and after brushing aside the competition at the Little League World Series
, was crowned the champion of the 46th Little League World Series. The team was stripped of its title after Filipino journalists revealed to the world that the team had used ineligible players who, variously, did not meet either age or residency requirements. The team from Long Beach, California
, which Zamboanga City had defeated in the final, had the title awarded to it. In their 29-0 blowout of Canada the team from the Dominican Republic set the record for the most runs scored in one game.
The Championship Game did not feature a team from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) for the first time since 1985. This tied the record of six consecutive finals set by Taiwan from 1977-1982. As of 2011 this record has not been seriously approached by one Country/State.
The new format had each team play the other three teams in their bracket, and then having the top two teams play each other in the semifinal, with the winners advancing to the championship.
Zamboanga City defeated Kaiserslauten, Germany, then Valleyfield, Quebec, then lost to Epyguerrerro, Dominican Republic, in the 3 preliminary games. This was enough to get them into the international final, a rematch with Epyguerrerro, which they won, 5-1. The world series championship game, on August 29, against Long Beach, California, was a blowout, with Zamboanga City winning 15-4 after a 7 run first inning. The team was hailed as heroes in the Philippines, President Ramos giving the team a gift of 1 million pesos to contribute to the livelihood of their families. Long Beach head coach Jeff Burroughs
remarked that semi-final pitcher Roberto Placious had the poise of a high school or college pitcher.
began publishing stories suggesting that some players were ineligible. Local administrator Armando Andaya was faxed four questions from Creighton Hale, Little League president, regarding player ages, birth certificates, residence, and a specific question regarding winning championship game pitcher Ian Tolentino's participation in a tournament in 1990 (possibly with the view of suggesting this would have made him over-age). Andaya admitted to violating rules on district representation - eight players were from outside the Zamboanga City area, some as far away as Luzon
, and unable to speak Chabacano, the language most commonly spoken in Zamboanga. Andaya claimed that the 8 players replaced, for various reasons, were unable to go to China for the Far East series and that the out-of-district substitutes were only used to make up numbers rather than to give the team an extra edge over their opponents.
Little League Baseball stripped Zamboanga City of its title.
Under Little League rules at the time, when a team is found to have used an ineligible player, it forfeits only its most recent game (otherwise they would have to put the entire tournament on hold while the teams that lost to the illegal team were put back into the tournament). Since the revelation was made after the championship game, that game was declared a 6-0 forfeit victory by Long Beach, which was awarded the championship. The exposed players and parents remained defiant, and accused Little League Baseball of denying them due process.
and found that even the six true Zamboangueño
s were over-age, at least one as old as 15, and thus ineligible. It was discovered that, as with the eight non-district players, the fraud had been maintained by the players' assumption of identities of (eligible) players who had represented the city at the national championships, the families of whom were reportedly willing to reveal all, jealous of the prizes bestowed upon the players who had used their sons' identities to represent their country at the Far East and World Series. In some cases, even the parents of the ineligible players assumed appropriate identities to maintain the appearance of propriety. Nocum, seemingly backing Andaya's assertion that the substitutes were not chosen to artificially inflate the team's performance, was reported later as saying that had the original Zamboanga City team participated in the World Series, they would have trounced Long Beach by far more runs.
In an interesting post-script, Zamboanga City was disqualified from the Filipino national titles the very next year in another over-age player scandal.
August 24
August 25
August 26
South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
South Williamsport is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,412 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
The Little League baseball
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
team representing Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
won its way through national trials, the Far East series, and after brushing aside the competition at the Little League World Series
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
, was crowned the champion of the 46th Little League World Series. The team was stripped of its title after Filipino journalists revealed to the world that the team had used ineligible players who, variously, did not meet either age or residency requirements. The team from Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, which Zamboanga City had defeated in the final, had the title awarded to it. In their 29-0 blowout of Canada the team from the Dominican Republic set the record for the most runs scored in one game.
The Championship Game did not feature a team from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) for the first time since 1985. This tied the record of six consecutive finals set by Taiwan from 1977-1982. As of 2011 this record has not been seriously approached by one Country/State.
Far East series
Between 1967, when Japan's West Tokyo won, and 1992, the Little League World Series was won 19 of a possible 25 times by the Far East champion. Competing against the national champions of traditionally stronger baseball nations like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Filipino teams had been unable to qualify for the LLWS. In 1992, however, the Far East was represented by Zamboanga City, which had won the national Filipino title.The tournament
The 1992 tournament debuted the round-robin format; no longer would a team play against a predetermined opponent in the first round, with the winners facing each other in the semifinal, with the winner advancing to the Saturday championship.The new format had each team play the other three teams in their bracket, and then having the top two teams play each other in the semifinal, with the winners advancing to the championship.
Zamboanga City defeated Kaiserslauten, Germany, then Valleyfield, Quebec, then lost to Epyguerrerro, Dominican Republic, in the 3 preliminary games. This was enough to get them into the international final, a rematch with Epyguerrerro, which they won, 5-1. The world series championship game, on August 29, against Long Beach, California, was a blowout, with Zamboanga City winning 15-4 after a 7 run first inning. The team was hailed as heroes in the Philippines, President Ramos giving the team a gift of 1 million pesos to contribute to the livelihood of their families. Long Beach head coach Jeff Burroughs
Jeff Burroughs
Jeffrey Alan Burroughs is a former player in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the Washington Senators , Texas Rangers , Atlanta Braves , Seattle Mariners , Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays . Burroughs batted and threw right-handed...
remarked that semi-final pitcher Roberto Placious had the poise of a high school or college pitcher.
Initial investigation and disqualification
A few days after Zamboanga City's triumphant victory, however, journalist Al Mendoza of the Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
began publishing stories suggesting that some players were ineligible. Local administrator Armando Andaya was faxed four questions from Creighton Hale, Little League president, regarding player ages, birth certificates, residence, and a specific question regarding winning championship game pitcher Ian Tolentino's participation in a tournament in 1990 (possibly with the view of suggesting this would have made him over-age). Andaya admitted to violating rules on district representation - eight players were from outside the Zamboanga City area, some as far away as Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, and unable to speak Chabacano, the language most commonly spoken in Zamboanga. Andaya claimed that the 8 players replaced, for various reasons, were unable to go to China for the Far East series and that the out-of-district substitutes were only used to make up numbers rather than to give the team an extra edge over their opponents.
Little League Baseball stripped Zamboanga City of its title.
Under Little League rules at the time, when a team is found to have used an ineligible player, it forfeits only its most recent game (otherwise they would have to put the entire tournament on hold while the teams that lost to the illegal team were put back into the tournament). Since the revelation was made after the championship game, that game was declared a 6-0 forfeit victory by Long Beach, which was awarded the championship. The exposed players and parents remained defiant, and accused Little League Baseball of denying them due process.
More revelations
With many Filipinos outraged at what they saw as an unpatriotic betrayal by Mendoza, who was given the key to the city of Long Beach, fellow Inquirer journalist Armand N. Nocum conducted further investigationand found that even the six true Zamboangueño
Zamboangueño
People from other ethnic groups came to Zamboanga City when the construction of the present-day Fort Pilar begun. The colonial Spanish government ordered the construction of a military fort to guard off the city from pirates and slave raiders of Sulu. Laborers from Cebu, Cavite, Bohol, Panay and...
s were over-age, at least one as old as 15, and thus ineligible. It was discovered that, as with the eight non-district players, the fraud had been maintained by the players' assumption of identities of (eligible) players who had represented the city at the national championships, the families of whom were reportedly willing to reveal all, jealous of the prizes bestowed upon the players who had used their sons' identities to represent their country at the Far East and World Series. In some cases, even the parents of the ineligible players assumed appropriate identities to maintain the appearance of propriety. Nocum, seemingly backing Andaya's assertion that the substitutes were not chosen to artificially inflate the team's performance, was reported later as saying that had the original Zamboanga City team participated in the World Series, they would have trounced Long Beach by far more runs.
In an interesting post-script, Zamboanga City was disqualified from the Filipino national titles the very next year in another over-age player scandal.
Qualification
| United States | International |
|---|---|
 Long Beach, CALong Beach, California Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257... West Long Beach |
 Santo DomingoSanto Domingo Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River... Latin America Epy Guerrero |
 Hamilton Square, NJHamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464... East Nottingham |
 KaiserslauternKaiserslautern Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people... Europe Kaiserslautern |
 South Holland, ILSouth Holland, Illinois South Holland is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States and serves as the seat of Thornton Township. The population was 22,147 at the 2000 census.-History:... Central South Holland |
 Salaberry-de-ValleyfieldSalaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is a city in southwestern Quebec, in the Regional County Municipality of Beauharnois-Salaberry. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 39,672. Situated on an island in the Saint Lawrence River, it is bordered at its western end by Lake Saint Francis, with the Saint... Canada Valleyfield |
 Lake Charles, LALake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in... South South Lake Charles |
 Zamboanga CityZamboanga City The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines.... Far East Zamboanga City |
Pool play
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| West | 3-0 |
| East | 2-1 |
| South | 1-2 |
| Central | 0-3 |
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| Latin America | 3-0 |
| Far East | 2-1 |
| Canada | 1-2 |
| Europe | 0-3 |
August 24
| Central | 6-10 | West |
| Canada | 0-29 | Latin America |
| Far East | 14-2 | Europe |
| South | 0-5 | East |
August 25
| Europe | 0-24 (4 innings) |
Latin America |
| East | 4-6 | West |
| Central | 2-3 | South |
| Canada | 0-2 | Far East |
August 26
| East | 5-2 | Central |
| Europe | 3-10 | Canada |
| Latin America | 8-1 | Far East |
| West | 16-1 | South |
Elimination round
| 1992 Little League World Series Champions |
|---|
  Long Beach Little League Long Beach, California |
Notable players
- Sean BurroughsSean BurroughsSean Patrick Burroughs is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played for the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Devil Rays....
(Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
) Arizona DiamondbacksArizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
third baseman
Champions Path
The Long Beach LL had an undefeated record of 12 wins and 0 losses to reach the LLWS. In total their record was 17-0, the last win coming on a forfeit by Zamboanga City (from the Philippines).| Round | Opposition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Section 4 | ||
| Section 4 Winner's Bracket | Metropolitan LL |
5-0 |
| Section 4 Winner's Bracket | Puente Hills LL Puente Hills The Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:... |
4-0 |
| Section 4 Championship | Metropolitan LL |
10-3 |
| South California Divisional | ||
| Winner's Bracket Opening Round | Eastview LL San Pedro, Los Angeles, California San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area... |
1-0 |
| Winner's Bracket Semifinals | Deer Valley LL Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present day San Bernardino County, California given in 1839 to dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician, Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant encompassed present day Rancho Cucamonga... |
4-3 |
| Winner's Bracket Finals | Northridge American LL |
8-0 |
| South Championship | Northridge American LL |
10-1 |
| West Regional | ||
| Round 1 |  Raleigh Hills LLBeaverton Beaverton may refer to the following places:In Canada:*Beaverton, OntarioIn the United States:*Beaverton, Alabama*Beaverton, Michigan*Beaverton Township, Michigan*Beaverton, Oregon**Beaverton Mall, in Beaverton, Oregon... |
4-3 |
| Quarterfinals |  Northstar LL |
8-2 |
| Semifinals |  Pearl City LL |
3-2 |
| Finals | San Ramon Valley LL |
13-4 |
| Finals | Danville San Ramon Valley LL |
11-3 |