Marion Miners sign Almonte

MARION, Ill. -- Pitcher Danny Almonte, who gained notoriety for playing in the 2001 Little League championship at the age of 14, has signed a deal with the Southern Illinois Miners, the minor league team announced Tuesday.

"There are not too many young lefties with his quality of stuff sitting out there," Southern Illinois Miners Manager Mike Pinto said in a statement. "He has a 90's plus fastball and an excellent slider. From our conversations, Danny is a quiet and shy young man who just wants a chance to showcase his talents."

Almonte, a native of the Dominican Republic and 20 years old, made headlines in 2001 when he threw the first no-hitter in Little League World Series history, recording 46 strikeouts and allowing three hits in three starts to lead the Rolando Paulino All Stars to a third-place finish.

But Almonte's performance was erased from the record books after it was discovered that he was 14 at the time, two years older than what rules allowed.

Almonte's father was accused of falsifying his son's birth certificate and banned for life from Little League baseball.

-- AP