Hanoi Capitals Baseball

Garden Grove hosts historic game between U.S., Vietnam

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Pictured above: A Garden Grove runner hurries to first and Ben Nguyen Treutler digs the throw out of the dirt.

On Sunday, the Capitals took to the field against the Garden Grove PONY Bronco 11-and-under All-Star team at West Haven Park in Garden Grove. In front of a crowd that included family, community members and interested spectators, the two teams played the first PONY baseball game between Vietnam and the United States.

It was an event that took seven years in the making.

Ben Treutler played baseball in Garden Grove at age 5 but moved to Vietnam with his family.

He returned on Saturday as the starting pitcher of a 15-player team from Hanoi coached and supported by his mother and father, Thomas Treutler.

"These are kind of my old teammates," Ben said. "We improved a lot. Most of our games we've lost by a lot, but this has been our closest game to date."

For most of the players on the Vietnamese team, it was their first time to the U.S., and they were awed by the well-manicured fields and hospitality that welcomed them. Amped by the supplies of Coke, Skittles and M&M's in their dugout, they cheered wildly when Phan scored their first run, despite already being down by eight.

Coach Thomas Treutler, who helped organize some of the first Vietnamese baseball leagues, felt the game was a learning experience as well as a pioneering trip.

"We've learned a lot from the players and Garden Grove coaches," he said after the game, which ended 19-5. "We're never going to forget this, that's for sure. You can just see the smiles on the kids' faces."

The Vietnamese players weren't the only ones who were excited. Garden Grove coach Paul Escobar noted that the boys were "more nervous than before any All-Star game," which was confirmed by catcher Hunter Cooper.

"We were a little nervous, but we settled in after the first couple of innings," Cooper said.

Still, both teams provided an intriguing spectacle that pleased fans that had come from all over Orange County. Irvine resident Loc Tieu, who "lives and eats baseball," came to the States in 1983 from Vietnam.

"It looks better than we expected," he said. "They're hanging in there, just give them three or four more years.

You know how exciting it is to see a (Vietnam team) play? For them to never play and then pick up a glove, that's amazing."

For the most part, the Vietnamese team, while unpolished, exhibited the raw skills needed for success. They were adept at catching and fielding, and according to Treutler, will need to improve their pitching and hitting to make the next big step.

The team from Hanoi will travel to San Diego for a tournament on Tuesday, but not before making a stop at Disneyland. With big dreams and even bigger smiles, they remained optimistic.

"I think we can win some games in the tournament," said Quoc Minh Pham, before joining his teammates to celebrate their fifth and final run.