On June 25, the Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals met on the diamond at Memorial Park for the Hollister Little League AA Division Championship. This was the 11th and final game for the two teams, down from a regular 16-game season. But luck failed the A’s when two quick outs ended things and, after rough three innings, the game went to the Royals, with a final score of 15-2.
The stands were full of spectators and the kids came ready to play, but the odds were stacked against the A’s from the start. Their star pitcher, Marcus Fernandez, had to play the field, with Little League rules prohibiting back-to-back games. And vacation schedules played havoc with the team, taking out another pitcher and a key player or two who were away on family trips.
A’s coach Mike Moisa was there an hour before the game, warming up rookie pitcher, nine-year-old Jackson Miller, who had never pitched a game before.
“I come to the field early all the time and I do that for a reason,” Moisa said. “I want to see what kids are also there early who really want to play. Miller was there today and I think he will do well, but I always tell the kids to give it all they got and I will back them all the way.”
The Royals had an advantage—their regular starting pitcher, nine-year-old Andrew Frietas was present and in good form—but coach Corey Forth was holding his cards close to his chest.
“We split 50/50 with these guys this season,” he said. “It is really anyone’s game. But we have Frietas and Erik Lopez and they are both pretty great little pitchers.”
With the A’s taking the field and the Royals up at bat, starting pitcher Emmanuel Garcia set the tone for the inning. With nine and 10-year-olds, the game is more about overthrown balls and missed catches than hitting and fielding. Garcia walked the first batter, Lopez, but a strong hit from the second batter, Erik Baldovinos, left the outfield scattered and allowed Lopez to circle the bases for the first run.
There were four more walks, leading to two more runs, before Jayce Pelaiz scored a base hit that drove in a run for Frietas. One more walk brought in a runner and, with the score 5-0 an automatic end to their at-bat.
With the Royals fielding, Frietas’s pitching made quick work of the A’s lineup. He walked the first batter, allowed a pop-up fly that ended in a double play, and struck out the third batter.
In the second inning, the A’s gave up a few hits and walked a lot of players as the Royals racked up five more runs. The Royals held the A’s to a zero score, with Frietas striking out three of the six batters.
At the start of the third inning, Miller got his chance to pitch for the A’s, to no avail. After six walks, one strikeout, and two strong hits, the Royals racked up the five runs they needed to end their at-bat for the third time.
With a score of 15-0 against them, the A’s were given the option of continuing the game or conceding it as a loss and they elected to continue with their at-bat. It was a good choice—a couple of base hits drove in two runs to put the A’s on the scoreboard at last before a strikeout ended the game.
The Royals did a bit of celebrating as they ran back to the dugout, but had calmed down as they came back to the third-base line for the final ceremonies. Little League practices good sportsmanship and that was apparent in the instructions Forth gave his team.
“No gloating,” he told his champions. “They played a good game.”
The two teams exchanged handshakes and a hug or two, and first and second place trophies were awarded. In the end, what really seemed to matter to the boys was that they had been able to get one more game in before the end of the season and had one more chance to play ball with their friends. There was a certain melancholy as one of the departing A’s players was heard to say, “Does this mean we don’t get to practice next week?”
Other championship games took place the same week. In the Major Division (ages 9-12), the Rangers beat the Yankees. In the AAA Division (ages 8-11), the Tigers beat the Dodgers. And in the Farm A Division (ages 6-8), the Phillies beat the Cubs.
Moisa strongly encourages parents to get their kids into the program at any level.
“I think Little League opens up their minds and brains,” he said. “It gives them an idea as to how they can function in a sport. Without them getting out there and playing, they will never know what they can accomplish.”
Hollister Little League will have online signups for Fall Ball starting Aug. 1, running through Aug. 20.
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