Aug 14, 2022 9 min read

Its path to the Pony League World Series 50 years ago was unlike any other team from Washington.

It took three victories for the 1972 Washington team to earn its spot in the tournament.

When their journey started, they were simply a bunch of good players hoping to become a team good enough to reach their dream of qualifying for the World Series.

By the time they qualified, Washington had transformed from a bunch of good baseball players into a quality and deserving team.

Washington won the Host Area tournament, defeating Upper St. Clair, 2-1 (nine innings), Monessen, 5-0, and Upper St. Clair, 9-1.

Typical of most good teams, Washington relied on its front-line pitchers and depth.

Mixed with good defense and timely hitting, the hometown team forged its reputation with early Pony League World Series victories over Carolina, Puerto Rico, 7-0, and Honolulu, Hawaii, 3-2, in 13 innings – a game that lasted until the next morning.

“At that point, we felt we were a good team,” said coach Leo Trich. “We felt we had a chance to win the World Series.”

Unfortunately, that did not happen as Washington lost its next two games, both to Honolulu, 10-0, and 4-1.

It was tough bowing out after such a strong start. Trich felt playing Honolulu three times in four games was unusual and awkward.

“I don’t think that helped us,” he said.

Trich started working for PONY Baseball a year earlier as a college student. From office assistant to commissioner, Trich stayed with the program until running for the state legislature in 1986.

“A lot of people were excited and talking about playing the town (Carolina) Roberto Clemente was from before the game,” Trich said.

The highlight of the Series for Washington was the victory over Honolulu.

It has been estimated that there were about 10,000 people on hand that night, with more than 100 dozen hot dogs sold.

“That was pretty special,” Trich said. “I think our kids were a little in awe of that size of crowd. But we played tough, got great pitching and found a way to win.”

The win over Honolulu crystalized Washington’s run in the Series. It was estimated that there were 10,420 people at that game.

“I didn’t even realize it,” pitcher Scott Stephens said. “It never even dawned on me that many people were watching. I was numb to it and focused on the game. I do remember the winning run scoring in the 13th inning and Leo running down the third-base line, almost beating our runner home. At the last second, he looked up and saw their catcher.

“I do remember that moment but, of course, the game was over. It was truly the first time I felt (the crowd).”

That victory only strengthened Stephens’ thoughts about his team.

“I had all the faith in the world in our team,” he said. “That was a good team, a good mix.

“I don’t remember every detail. There’s a handful of these guys I haven’t seen in 50 years. Once some of the stories were told, they came right back to me like it happened yesterday.”

Monterrey, Mexico ultimately won the Pony World Series in 1972, besting Honolulu two games to one in a best-of 3 championship series. It remains the only Pony League World Series championship for Mexico. Long-time major league catcher Alejandro “Alex” Trevino played and starred for Monterrey.

Another future MLB player participated in the 1972 World Series, pitcher Juan Agosto played for Carolina.

Washington won its only PLWS championship in 1955. The 1998 team is the only other Washington team to play for the championship.

Building a team

Trich, who was the assistant coach to manager Lonnie Bristor, said he and business manager Dick Bell relied on an individual’s regular-season statistics to construct the team’s roster.

“We stuck to that formula,” Trich said. “We wanted to take most everything else out of the equation. Putting together what is essentially an all-star team can become difficult.

“We just felt if a young man played well and compiled the statistics, it would be difficult to argue against his inclusion on our team. I think that approach was the right one.”

Washington’s team in addition to Stephens included brothers Tony and Bill Montecalvo, Rick Falascino, Jim Insana, Pat Mary, Jamie Pattison, George Wheeler, Don Duskey, Eric Sobansky, Ed Korowicki, Doug Winters, Denny Siedlak, Jeff McClay and Buck Bakaitis.

Stephens, Pattison and Winters were the main starting pitchers.

The group was honored Saturday at Lew Hays Pony Field between the first and second games of the day.

“One major benefit I had, and we had another good guy in Dick Bell, was Lonnie and his leadership.

“Lonnie was very knowledgable about baseball. Lonnie took the mature side of things. My benefit was I was closer in age to those boys; they felt a little more comfortable coming to me, which I could relay anything to Lonnie.

“I coached many of them when they were younger and right through to Pony League. The abilities they had is ability I didn’t have. I love the game. Through them, and coaching them, I could enjoy baseball. We never had a problem. After the World Series, I coached them into American Legion baseball. It was a good group of kids and now a good group of men.”

Abe Key, president and chief executive officer of PONY Baseball and Softball International, knows many of the members of the 1972 team. He came up through the league a little behind them but remembers the ’72 Series.

“For us (at PONY Baseball), history is an important part of what we do. To see these guys comeback after 50 years and reconnect, have lunch, break bread and then come to the ballpark is just fantastic,” Key said. “To see their smiles and listen to their stories, is what this is about. It is priceless. It’s why we do this, not only for 14-year-old kids but 64-year-old kids. They will always share the experiences they had.

“To have a host team in the Series is honor for us. It gives our Washington area kids the opportunity to play in front of family and friends. For the ’72 team to play before 8,000 to 10,000 people here in 1972 is something to cherish. That many people coming to watch and support the hometown team is exciting.”

Underestimated

Pattison was unsure he’d even make the Washington team. He said his regular season pitching record wasn’t impressive as his Washington Pony League team suffered through a difficult year.

“I didn’t think I’d make it,” Pattison said. “We had a lot of good players. Our team was good and we thought we could be good.

“Yes, we had good pitching. But it was about the whole team. These guys played up through the leagues and we came together on this team.”

Pattison pitched a gem against Puerto Rico, a complete game with seven strikeouts while yielding eight hits and one walk.

The fact the team had little time to work together as a unit did not deter it or its members. Stephens said he resented the “underdog” connotations from outside the squad.

“I played against all the guys through the various leagues,” said Stephens, an ace left-handed pitcher. It was great playing with these guys that year because all of them were at the top of their games.

“Some labeled us the Cinderella team since the beginning. We took offense to that because we all felt we had a shot from the day the team was selected. We had speed and defense. We all thought we had what it took.”

Playing Honolulu three times out of four games was difficult, Stephen admitted. But it was not an impossible task to beat them a second time.

“It really was unusual,” Stephens said. “We didn’t get to play anyone else other than Puerto Rico. I knew it was going to be tough. Honolulu was a seasoned team. You could just tell playing them the first time how well-rounded a team they were. They were going to be tough to beat again. It was a tall order. But we felt we could. We did the first time.”

Winters, another pitcher for Washington said the Series format was “weird” but that didn’t take away from what Washington accomplished and the memories the team took with it afterward.

“It was a lot of fun,” Winters added. “When we qualified, we were all ecstatic. But we all expected to be here. We took winning the Host Tournament in stride. We felt like we belonged here.”

Winters said pitching was a huge part of Washington’s success. He said Stephens and Pattison stood above.

“I think the real pitchers were Scotty and Jamie,” Winters added. “They were so good. I looked up to both. They probably never knew that. I pitched but never felt I was on the level of those guys.”

What really struck Winters was the crowd sizes and local support.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” Winter said. “Crowds were loud and large. At the time, and it was a different time, I remember the feeling of having so much support from the community. A lot of people showed up for us, to see us play. That does a lot for a team knowing it has that support. It pumps you up.”

Once the Series was over for Washington, Winters said there was a brief period of emptiness but that gave way to pride.

“I got to pitch the final game and it was real high pressure,” Winter said. “It got OK after the first inning, but it was too late. The Hawaiian pitcher was amazing. It was tough for us to get anything going that day.

“We all had a good cry and then put it behind us. We realized the bigger picture of what we had done. It was amazing to be there and back here. It seems like yesterday. Fifty years is a long time. We share the same, wonderful memories.”