The summer of success for the South Pasadena Little League Junior All-Star baseball team all started in Alhambra.
From there, it stretched to Claremont, and then Norco.
No matter the place, the team just kept on winning.
That all led to a trip to the West Region Junior Baseball Little League Tournament in Bend, Oregon on Aug. 2. The team represented Southern California in a field of 11 other teams battling for a spot in the Junior Little League World Series in Michigan.
It was the first time a Little League team from South Pasadena had reached that stage. But, most importantly, it was one last hurrah for a group of athletes who’ve spent nearly half of their lives playing baseball together.
And with the opportunity for extended travel, much more was created: lifelong memories.
“You were going into uncharted waters, not knowing what you’re getting into,” South Pasadena Junior All-Stars manager Chris Cortinez said. “But when it’s all said and done, you look back and those are now memories.”
The manager said the trip was one of the best experiences in his life, largely because of the moments the team and parents all shared with each other. From the games to the activities in-between tournament play, getting to know the parents on a personal level was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience, he added.
The team did it all in Oregon.
River tubing in the Deschutes River. Visiting the last and only Blockbuster store in the world. Playing at an old-time arcade. Grabbing ice cream. Watching the latest “Mission Impossible” film. Gathering for countless dinners.
“We shared a lot of great moments when we were together,” said 13-year-old Tyler Wilson, who played third base for the team.
The all-stars rode a 10-game winning streak into the West Region Tournament, but Cortinez said the team was aware that the level of competition would intensify as they advanced.
Teams competing in the West represented Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Washington and Northern California.
“We hadn’t, to that point, been really tested, but we knew what we were getting into,” he said. “It wasn’t going to be a cakewalk, obviously. These are all teams that won their state championships. They all earned it.”
And in South Pasadena’s opener against Nevada, it was business as usual.
The team cruised to a 14-1 win, and followed that up with a 7-3, second-round victory over Idaho.
However, the group saw its winning run come to an end when it lost to Washington 11-1 in the following round. The loss relegated the team down to the consolation bracket.
“Those kids took it personally,” said Cortinez said of the loss. “This is our city. We don’t want to let them down. We don’t want to make them embarrassed or anything and that’s how we felt with our plays. We had to bounce back that next game. If we lose, it’s all over.”
The team regrouped and shut out Montana 10-0 to set up an all-state showdown against Northern California.
“We did what we had to do to survive,” the manager said.
But the northern team topped its southern neighbor 10-6, knocking out South Pasadena of the tournament one game shy of the West Region championship.
Considering everything the group endured, the postgame huddle following the loss was difficult to address as emotions overwhelmed everyone, Cortinez said.
“Together as a unit, we all just broke down in tears,” Cortinez said. “Tears of joy. Tears of accomplishment. This is something we never expected, but we went along with the ride.
We got as far as we did, and there’s nothing to be ashamed about.
“To this day, I have no regrets. I’m proud of each and every one of my players, my coaches, the parents for being there and, obviously, [South Pasadena Little League President] Alberto [Ocon] for everything he did. It was a true team effort, one we’ll never forget.”
Hawaii, unbeaten during the entire tournament, blanked Northern California 12-0 in the championship game and is representing the West in the Junior Little League World Series.
Northern California routed Washington 15-0 to advance to the title game against Hawaii.
Cortinez’s son, 14-year-old Chris, said the competition created valuable experience for all the players.
“We were expecting some really good teams and there were some really good teams,” he said. “But we made it pretty far and we should be proud of ourselves.”
He added that the games taught the players a lot, providing lessons that will stick with them as they continue their playing careers into the high school level. The 14-year-old will be entering his freshman year of high school.
“The kind of pitching we saw in the tournament will be what we see moving forward,” he said. “We should learn from our lessons there and we should get better from now on.”
The competition meant a lot for Wilson as well.
“One of the most important lessons I learned was to never give up and to strive for success,” said Wilson, who will be entering the 8th grade at South Pasadena Middle School. “I think as I continue to play in future years, I’ll always look back and remember to believe in myself and my teammates.”
The Junior All-Star group is the first baseball team in the South Pasadena Little League organization to win a state title in its 76-year history. The group is also the league’s first baseball or softball team to advance to a West Region tournament. The organization’s 10-and-under softball team won the league’s first state title in 2018; there is no West Region tournament for softball.
South Pasadena Little League President Alberto Ocon was with the team throughout the duration of the tournament. The team activities forged an everlasting bond between teammates, he said.
“They’ll remember this for the rest of their lives,” Ocon added. “These road trips that they took — out to east Alhambra, and then over to Claremont, and then over to Norco and then just Bend, Oregon — they’ll be memories of a lifetime.”
Traveling supporters weren’t the only ones to cheer them on during the tournament. Ocon said a small group of South Pasadena natives who currently live in the Pacific Northwest would show up to the games to support the team. A handful drove nearly three hours to get a chance to be part of the historic run.
Back home, community support was just as strong, if not stronger. Community members rallied to fill up both rooms at Mamma’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta to catch the livestream of South Pasadena’s opener against Nevada. Ocon said around 145 people would tune in to each of the team’s games streamed on the app Gamechanger.
“That’s our community,” Ocon said.
Ocon and Cortinez expressed gratitude to all community members and business owners who helped make the trip possible.
“You want to represent where you came from, your city, your family,” the manager said. “We did our best to support them and they definitely did a great job back in South Pas. It was great. It really boosted us.
“Thank you to all of South Pasadena for your support. It really helped us out, more than you think. We’re all grateful. We hope we made you all proud. We, as a unit, are proud of these guys. As they say in high school, ‘one town, one team.’”
Ocon added: “Everybody’s help was tremendous. Our community is fantastic. Everyone stepped up and showed that they care about their young boys and young girls.”
As for what’s next, Cortinez said a majority of the Little League team will continue playing ball for South Pasadena High School.
“I hope that what we did will open up some doors, open up some eyes, to give some of these other kids coming up something to look up to, something to try and accomplish and hopefully help this whole South Pasadena area grow and put the name on the map,” he said.
First published in the Aug. 18 issue of the South Pasadena Review
