When the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, little league baseball was the last thing on anyone's mind. Families were displaced, homes were lost, and the community was left to pick up the pieces. But as spring approached, the thought of a season without baseball felt like another devastating loss—one the children of Altadena shouldn't have to endure.
So began a herculean effort from parents, coaches, and organizers of Central Altadena Little League. They faced a seemingly impossible task: no field to play on, most kids without gear, and families scattered across the L.A. Basin in temporary rentals or with extended family. Yet, against all odds, hundreds of kids signed up. A wave of donations poured in, providing free gloves, bats, and balls. Neighboring leagues stepped up, offering their fields for practices and games.
On opening day, March 1, nearly 20 Altadena-based teams took the field, marking the start of what would become a historic season. And then, something remarkable happened. The league's Braves team—a group of 10- and 11-year-olds—caught fire, stringing together a series of playoff victories that no one saw coming.
“Kind of like when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl after Katrina, we were like, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if some special moment happened this year?'” said Robert "Trey" Milton, a lifelong Altadenan and former Central Altadena Little League player who helped organize the post-fire comeback. “And then it did,” he added, still in disbelief. “It was exciting.”
The highs and lows of that unforgettable season—both on the field and off—are captured in a new documentary, "Going for Home." The film follows a community shaken by tragedy and shows how baseball became a refuge, offering unbridled joy, unrelenting grit, and most importantly, hope. It's a story of underdogs, as filmmaker Eric Simonson puts it, and it premiered earlier this year at local film festivals in Santa Barbara and Pasadena. Now, it's coming home.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Altadena's Loma Alta Park will host a free community screening of the documentary. It's a chance to relive the season that proved that even in the darkest times, the love of the game—and the strength of a community—can light the way.