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Hutchinson win Vaults Stars
Kansas team had the stars — Bonds, Incaviglia and Palmeiro — but they were no match against the Stars
Someday, when 11 former San Diego Barona Stars players sit down with children or grandchildren, they'll be able to tell a story that will get bigger with every passing tale.
For the record, the 1984 San Diego Stars had the distinction of beating a team which featured three future major league All-Stars when they edged the Hutchinson, Kan. Broncos 11-8 in the National Baseball Congress World Series. In the Hutchinson outfield that day were Barry Bonds, a future Hall of Famer with the San Francisco Giants, and future Baltimore Orioles Rafael Palmeiro and Pete Incaviglia.
The victory completed a rags-to-riches story for a team which had only played 11 games before entering the NBC World Series as the third San Diego team ever to travel to Wichita. Ironically, the first team from San Diego in 1954 included infielder Marty Nellis, who was a coach for general manager Mickey Deutschman's squad.
Hutchinson's star-filled outfield combined for five runs scored and as many hits, but none had an extra-base hit. The big star for the Broncos was another future pro, Rick Wrona, who had two hits and four runs batted in. Wrona eventually made the majors as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs.
But while Hutchinson had 13 hits off four Stars pitchers, the Stars had 13 hits of their own as Charles Byers had three hits and Jim French, David Martinez and Ron McGee getting two each, the latter driving in three runs as well.
As good as the Stars' win over Hutchinson was, the fact that the team was even in Wichita was a story in itself. After winning the 1984 West Coast League title, the Stars had just two weeks to raise the money to travel to the NBC World Series, causing Deutschman to take drastic measures. By August 10, Deutschman was the proud owner of a motor home which housed the players on a memorable trek East and the squad was playing a handful of games in as many days.
San Diego got off to a quick start (so to speak), losing to the Madison, Wis., A's in a tourney-record time of 1:33. But French hit two homers and Paul Casanova had four hits in a 14-4 romp over the Mississippi Lumberjacks in the loser’s bracket.
After Doug Newark highlighted a 13-6 win over Athletes in Action with a steal of home, Rich Aspenleiter shut down Clarinda, Iowa 5-1 to get the Stars back in title contention. Aspenleiter had allowed just one run in the Madison contest and finished third in earned run average for the event.
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