Among the teams playing in the 1957 Little League World Series was one from Monterrey, Mexico. The star of that team was a youngster named Angel Macias. He was one of the most versatile young players ever seen. Angel could play all positions equally well. Not only was he the star pitcher, but he could pitch effectively both left-handed and right-handed. In one game he played first base and threw left-handed, then shifted to shortstop and threw right-handed.
Only his size was against him. Angel was small, much smaller than his teammates. But he was such a fine baseball player that his size was forgotten.
In the showdown game for the World Little League Championship, Angel pitched a perfect game! In six innings he struck out eleven batters. In Angel’s hometown, church bells were rung. He was voted Mexico’s outstanding athlete of the year in all sports, amateur or professional.
Being too old to continue in the Little League, Angel Macias joined the Colt League. He was equally successful there. In his years of Little League and Colt League pitching, Angel won 28 straight games. Every team in the major leagues waited impatiently for him to get taller. Finally the California Angels signed him to a contract.
But Angel never did grow enough. And his versatility counted for less. He was not quite good enough to make the major leagues at any position. The superstar of Little League ball turned out to be only a fair minor league outfielder.
Many pitchers have gone into the ninth inning working on a no-hitter, only to see it spoiled.
On April 7, 1918, Otis “Doc” Crandall of the Los Angeles Angels had a perfect game going against Salt Lake City. With two out in the ninth inning, not a man had reached base. Then Doc’s brother, Karl Crandall, came to bat. He dumped a dinky base hit bast the infield.
This is the only case on record where a pitcher’s no-hitter was broken up by his own brother.
From The Giant Book of Strange But True Sports Stories by Howard Liss. Illustrations by Joe Mathieu.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Angel_Macias
Angel’s story is so sad.
Yeah, but one thing the story doesn’t get into is that his win at the little league World Series was the first time a foreign team won so I’m betting he had some good memories to hold onto.
As someone who has never known what it was like to be that good at anything I must admit to having a hard time feeling sorry for him. However as someone who knows very well what it is to have their dreams shattered I can empathize with him quite well.