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Little League World Series

Coordinates: 41°14′N 76°59′W / 41.23°N 76.98°W / 41.23; -76.98
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little League World Series
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 Little League World Series
SportBaseball
Founded1947, 77 years ago
No. of teams20
CountriesInternational
Most recent
champion(s)		Florida Lake Mary Little League, Lake Mary, Florida (2024)
Most titlesJapan Tokyo-Kitasuna Little League, Tokyo, Japan (4)
Official websiteLittleLeague.org
South Williamsport is located in the United States
South Williamsport
South Williamsport
class=notpageimage|
Location in the United States
South Williamsport is located in Pennsylvania
South Williamsport
South Williamsport
class=notpageimage|
Location in Pennsylvania

The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children (primarily boys) aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States.[1][2] Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. The Series was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania;[3] while the postal address of the organization is in Williamsport, the Series itself is played at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport.

Initially, only teams from the United States competed in the Series, but it has since become a worldwide tournament. The tournament has gained popular renown, especially in the United States, where games from the Series and even from regional tournaments are broadcast on ESPN. Teams from the United States have won a plurality of the series, although from 1969 to 1991 teams from Taiwan dominated the series, winning in 15 out of those 23 years. From 2010 through 2017, teams from Japan similarly dominated the series, winning five of those matchups.

While the Little League Baseball World Series is frequently referred to as just the Little League World Series, it is actually one of seven World Series tournaments sponsored by Little League International, in different locations. Each of them brings community teams from different Little League International regions around the world together in baseball (four age divisions) and girls' softball (three age divisions).[4] The tournament structure described here is that used for the Little League Baseball World Series. The structure used for the other World Series is similar, but with different regions.

Qualifying tournaments

[edit]
A Little League World Series game
at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in 2007

In the summer months leading up to the Little League World Series, held each year in August, Little Leagues around the world select All-Star teams made up of players from each league. It is these All-Star teams that compete in district,[5] sectional and/or divisional, and regional tournaments,[citation needed] hoping to advance to Williamsport for the Little League World Series. How many games a team has to play varies from region to region. In the United States, the tournaments at the lowest (district) level lack nationwide standardization. Some use pool play or double elimination, while others use single elimination.

In the United States, the fate of district winners varies widely from state to state. In some larger states such as Pennsylvania, New York, and California, the district winners advance to one of many sectional tournaments.[5] The winners of each sectional tournament then advance to a state or divisional tournament, the latter only being held in Texas and California and are similar to the state tournaments held in less populous states.[5] Most smaller states lack competition at the sectional level and go straight from district to state tournaments. A handful of states are composed of only one district, and the district champion is the automatic state champion.[5]

With two exceptions, every state as well as the District of Columbia crowns a state champion,[6] and sends that team to represent it to one of ten regional tournaments. The exceptions involve California and Texas. Because of their large geographic and population sizes, California and Texas send two representatives to their regional tournament; Northern California and Southern California in the West region tournament and Texas East and Texas West (whose areas encompass more than the geographical areas of East Texas and West Texas, splitting roughly along the I-35/I-37 corridor) compete in the Southwest region tournament.[5] Up through 2018, the Dakotas had one district spanning the two states, and its winner became the joint champion when advancing to the Midwest region tournament.[5] However, beginning in 2019, North Dakota and South Dakota are represented by individual teams in the regional tournament — creating an odd number of teams first in the Midwest Regional and then (beginning in 2022) in the Great Lakes Regional.

The state champions (as well as the Northern California, Southern California, Texas East, Texas West, and District of Columbia teams) compete in one of ten different regional tournaments (increasing from 8 in 2022). Each regional tournament winner then advances to the Little League World Series. A comprehensive breakdown of current and historical US regional tournament locations, participants and results is available online.[7] Since the geographical boundaries of the District of Columbia are exactly the same as the capital city of Washington, this District is usually identified specifically as "Washington, DC."

Other countries and regions pick their own way of crowning a champion.[5] Little League Canada holds tournaments at the provincial and divisional level to field six champions (four provincial and two divisional) at the national tournament: Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, the Prairie Provinces (Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and the Atlantic Provinces.[8] The host site of the national tournament varies from year to year, and the host team gets an automatic berth as the seventh team. The tournament is played as a round robin and uses the Page playoff format. The winner of the national tournament earns the right to represent Canada at the Little League World Series.

Regions

[edit]
See also: Junior, Senior & Big League Baseball § Regions; and Little League World Series (Far East Region) § 1975 ban

Beginning with the 2022 tournament, 10 regional tournament winners compete in the United States bracket of the Little League World Series. The states those regional champions could possibly hail from are as listed below using U.S. state abbreviations. There are 53 total U.S. entrants that compete in the 10 regional tournaments: two from Texas, two from California, one each from the remaining 48 U.S. states, and one from the District of Columbia.

There are eight international divisions, which provide 10 teams to the international bracket of the tournament. This is due to Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico receiving automatic bids to the LLWS on a rotating basis—annually, two teams receive a bid while the other plays through its regional tournament (Cuba or Puerto Rico through the Caribbean region; Panama through Latin America region).[9]

The above regions reflect various historical realignments, including those implemented in 2013 and 2022.[10][9] Historical detail is provided in articles about the individual regions.

Divisions which compete in the United States bracket represent 96% of worldwide players in Little League with over 2.2 million participants, while the divisions in the International bracket represent the remaining 4% (less than 130,000 participants).[citation needed]

World Series tournament format

[edit]
A Little League World Series Game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport

Currently, the Little League World Series consists of 20 teams: 10 from the United States, and 10 from other countries. The U.S. and international teams play in separate brackets, in a double-elimination format. The winners of each bracket then play each other for the LLWS championship game.

From the inaugural 1947 tournament through 1956, there were predominantly U.S.-based teams, usually eight, competing in a single-elimination format. One Canadian team played in 1952, and one in 1953. Regions were introduced in 1957, and that tournament included the first non-U.S. champion, Monterrey, Mexico, although they represented the U.S. South region. International regions were added in 1958. From 1962 through 2000, the eight teams in the tournament came from four U.S. and four international regions:

Through 1975, all teams competed in one bracket. That year, the tournament was held with only the teams from the U.S. regions.[11] The international teams returned in 1976,[11] when two brackets were established, one with U.S. teams, and the other with international teams. The U.S. bracket winner and the international bracket winner would then meet in the championship game,[11] an arrangement that has continued to the present, independent of subsequent changes made to early rounds of the tournament.

In 2001, the number of regions was doubled to 16. The tournament started with eight U.S. teams, randomly assigned into two four-team pools; and eight international teams, also randomly assigned into two four-team pools. Teams competed round-robin within their own pool, with the top two teams of each pool advancing to single-elimination play for a spot in the U.S. final or international final, followed by the U.S champion and international champion meeting in the World Championship game.

In 2010, round-robin play was replaced by a double-elimination bracket in each four-team pool. The winners of each pool advanced to a single-elimination U.S. championship or international championship game, with those winners advancing to the World Championship game. Additionally, each team in the tournament played a minimum of three games, as any team that lost its first two games would play in a consolation U.S. vs. international game.[12]

In 2011, pools were eliminated, with the eight U.S. teams continuing to compete in one bracket and the eight international teams in another bracket. The tournament is double-elimination until the U.S. championship and international championship games, which remain single-elimination, with those winners advancing to the World Championship game. Each team in the tournament still played a minimum of three games, via consolation games as noted above.[13][14]

In August 2019, organizers announced that the tournament would expand to 20 teams in 2021, by adding two U.S. participants and two international participants.[9] However, the expansion was delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of this expansion, crossover consolations games that had previously been played between 0–2 teams have been eliminated.

Venues

[edit]
Welcome sign in the Little League World Series Complex

Two venues host World Series games: Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. Lamade Stadium has hosted games since 1959 and added lights in 1992.[15] Volunteer Stadium opened in 2001 when the field expanded to 16 teams. Prior to 1959, the Little League World Series was held at Original Little League on West Fourth Street in Williamsport.[16]

Both fields have symmetrical fences, with a distance of 68.6 m (225 feet) from home plate to each of the outfield positions. That distance had been 62.5 m (205 feet) before 2006.

Admission to all LLWS games is free for all spectators. However, stadium seats for the championship game are distributed in a random drawing of all interested parties due to high demand. Some early round games, mostly games with Pennsylvania teams, will use first-come, first-served admission if a big crowd is to be expected.[17] Lamade Stadium has a berm beyond the fences that has allowed the facility to hold up to 45,000 spectators.

Age requirements

[edit]

From 1947 to 2005, the age limit for players was set at children who turned 13 on August 1 of that year or later. In 2006, the age limit was loosened to include players who turn 13 after April 30. As the Series takes place in August, this led to many of the players having already turned 13 before the Series started. In 2014 Little League voted to change the age cutoff from April 30 to December 31. However, this caused outrage by parents because the players born between May 1 and August 31, 2005 would have lost their 12-year-old season because they would be considered to be 13 years old even though they have not reached their 13th birthday. Effective November 2015, a new implementation plan was established, which "grandfathered" players born between May 1 and August 31, 2005 as 12-year-olds for the 2018 season, using April 30 age determination date for the 2018 season. Since 2019, a new determination date of August 31 is used, banning 13-year-old players from participating in the Series.

Girls in the tournament

[edit]

Through the 2024 tournament, a total of 23 girls have participated in the Little League Baseball World Series:[18]

Year Name State/Country
1984 Victoria Roche Belgium Brussels, Belgium
1989 Victoria Brucker California San Pedro, California
1990 Kelly Craig British Columbia Trail, British Columbia
1991 Giselle Hardy Saudi Arabia Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
1994 Krissy Wendell Minnesota Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
1998 Sayaka Tsushima Japan Kashima, Japan
1999 Alicia Hunolt Germany Ramstein Air Base, Germany
2001 Tatiana Maltseva Russia Moscow, Russia
2002 Sanoe Aina Hawaii Waipio, Hawaii
2003 Merced Flores Guam Hagåtña, Guam
2004 Meghan Sims Kentucky Owensboro, Kentucky
Alexandra Bellini Ontario Ottawa, Ontario
2008 Brielle Meno Guam Yona, Guam
2009 Katie Reyes British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia
Bryn Stonehouse Saudi Arabia Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
2013 Eliska Stejsklova Czech Republic Brno, Czech Republic
2014 Emma March British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia
Mo'ne Davis Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2019 Maddy Freking Minnesota Coon Rapids, Minnesota
2021 Ella Bruning Texas Abilene, Texas
2022 Falynn Randall Utah Santa Clara, Utah
2023 Stella Weaver Tennessee Nolensville, Tennessee
2024 Emma Gainsford Australia Sydney, New South Wales

Noteworthy events

[edit]
  • 1952 – A team from Montreal, Canada, became the first team outside of the United States to play in the tournament.
  • 1955 – The first walk-off home run in the championship game was hit by Rich Cominski, from Morrisville, Pennsylvania, in the 7th inning.
  • 1957 – Monterrey, Mexico, only the third team from outside the United States to compete, became the first such team to win the tournament. Pitcher Ángel Macías threw a perfect game, which has not occurred in a championship game since.[19]
  • 1970 – This was the final tournament to have an all-US championship final, aside from later exceptions of 1975 and 2021 when only US-based teams competed.
  • 1971 – Lloyd McClendon, from Gary, Indiana, hit five home runs in five official at bats over the span of three games. He was intentionally walked in his other five plate appearances.
  • 1974 – The elimination game between Jackson, Tennessee and Maracaibo, Venezuela was the first scoreless game after six innings of regulation play. Venezuela won 1–0, with a walk off home run in the seventh inning.
  • 1975 – International teams were banned from the tournament. After considerable criticism, the board of directors voted 12-1 to rescind the ban the following year.[20]
  • 1976 – International teams returned to the tournament, with US teams and non-US teams now placed on different sides of the tournament bracket.
  • 1982 – Kirkland, Washington, won the championship over Chiayi County, Taiwan. This snapped a streak of 31 consecutive wins by Taiwanese teams at the LLWS, prompting the game's live announcer, Jim McKay, to declare it the biggest upset in the history of Little League.[21]
  • 1985 - Mexicali becomes the first team outside the United States to win the United States Little League Championship.
  • 1993 – Long Beach, California, became the first team from the United States to win consecutive championships.
  • 2005 – Michael Memea, from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, won the championship with a walk-off home run in the 7th inning.
  • 2007 – Dalton Carriker, from Warner Robins, Georgia, hit a walk off home run in the 8th inning in the championship game.
  • 2012 – A team from Lugazi, Uganda, became the first team from Africa to play in the tournament.
  • 2016 – The team from Maine–Endwell, New York, completed an undefeated season (24–0) by defeating Seoul for the championship, giving South Korea its first loss in a LLWS championship game.
  • 2020 – For the first time in its history, the tournament was canceled, due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]
  • 2021 – For the first time since 1975, the tournament was restricted to US-based teams, due to continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]
  • 2023 – Louis Lappe, from El Segundo, California, hit a walk off home run in the 6th inning in the championship game
  • 2024 - Lake Mary, Florida becomes the first team from Florida to win the Little League World Series Championship, defeating Asia-Pacific representative Chinese Taipei, 2-1 in 8 innings.

Little League World Series champions

[edit]
Year Winner Score Runner-up
1947 Pennsylvania
Williamsport, Pennsylvania 		16–7 Pennsylvania
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
1948 Pennsylvania
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania 		6–5 Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
1949 New Jersey
Hammonton, New Jersey 		5–0 Florida
Pensacola, Florida
1950 Texas
Houston, Texas 		2–1 Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
1951 Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut 		3–0 Texas
Austin, Texas
1952 Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut 		4–3 Pennsylvania
Monongahela, Pennsylvania
1953 Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama 		1–0 New York (state)
Schenectady, New York
1954 New York (state)
Schenectady, New York 		7–5 California
Colton, California
1955 Pennsylvania
Morrisville, Pennsylvania 		4–3 New Jersey
Delaware Township, New Jersey
1956 New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico 		3–1 New Jersey
Delaware Township, New Jersey
1957 Mexico
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico 		4–0 California
La Mesa, California
1958 Mexico
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico 		10–1 Illinois
Kankakee, Illinois
1959 Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan 		12–0 California
Auburn, California
1960 Pennsylvania
Levittown, Pennsylvania 		5–0 Texas
Ft. Worth, Texas
1961 California
El Cajon, California 		4–2 Texas
El Campo, Texas
1962 California
San Jose, California 		3–0 Illinois
Kankakee, Illinois
1963 California
Granada Hills, California 		2–1 Connecticut
Stratford, Connecticut
1964 New York (state)
Staten Island, New York 		4–0 Mexico
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
1965 Connecticut
Windsor Locks, Connecticut 		3–1 Canada
Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada
1966 Texas
Houston, Texas 		8–2 New Jersey
West New York, New Jersey
1967 Japan
West Tokyo, Japan 		4–1 Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
1968 Japan
Wakayama, Osaka, Japan 		1–0 Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
1969 Taiwan
Taichung, Taiwan 		5–0 California
Santa Clara, California
1970 New Jersey
Wayne, New Jersey 		2–0 California
Campbell, California
1971 Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan 		12–3 (F/9) Indiana
Gary, Indiana
1972 Taiwan
Taipei, Taiwan 		6–0 Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
1973 Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan 		12–0 Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
1974 Taiwan
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 		12–1 California
Red Bluff, California
1975* New Jersey
Lakewood, New Jersey 		4–3 Florida
Tampa, Florida
1976 Japan
Chofu, Tokyo, Japan 		10–3 California
Campbell, California
1977 Taiwan
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 		7–2 California
El Cajon, California
1978 Taiwan
Pingtung, Taiwan 		11–1 California
Danville, California
1979 Taiwan
Chiayi County, Taiwan 		2–1
(F/8) 		California
Campbell, California
1980 Taiwan
Hua-Lien, Taiwan 		4–3 Florida
Tampa, Florida
1981 Taiwan
Taichung, Taiwan 		4–2 Florida
Tampa, Florida
1982 Washington (state)
Kirkland, Washington 		6–0 Taiwan
Chiayi, Taiwan
1983 Georgia (U.S. state)
Marietta, Georgia 		3–1 Dominican Republic
Barahona, Dominican Republic
1984 South Korea
Seoul, South Korea 		6–2 Florida
Altamonte Springs, Florida
1985 South Korea
Seoul, South Korea 		7–1 Mexico/California
Mexicali, BC/Calexico, CA
1986 Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan 		12–0 Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
1987 Taiwan
Hua-Lien, Taiwan 		21–1 California
Irvine, California
1988 Taiwan
Taichung, Taiwan 		10–0 Hawaii
Pearl City, Hawaii
1989 Connecticut
Trumbull, Connecticut 		5–2 Taiwan
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
1990 Taiwan
Tainan County, Taiwan 		9–0 Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
1991 Taiwan
Taichung, Taiwan 		11–0 California
San Ramon Valley, California
1992 California
‡Long Beach, California 		6-0 (fft) Dominican Republic
‡Santo Domingo
1993 California
Long Beach, California 		3–2 Panama
David, Chiriquí, Panama
1994 Venezuela
Maracaibo, Venezuela 		4–3 California
Northridge, California
1995 Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan 		17–3 (F/5) Texas
Spring, Texas
1996 Taiwan
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 		13–3 (F/5) Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
1997 Mexico
Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico 		5–4 California
South Mission Viejo, California
1998 New Jersey
Toms River, New Jersey 		12–9 Japan
Kashima, Japan
1999 Japan
Hirakata, Osaka, Japan 		5–0 Alabama
Phenix City, Alabama
2000 Venezuela
Maracaibo, Venezuela 		3–2 Texas
Bellaire, Texas
2001 Japan
Tokyo Kitasuna, Tokyo, Japan 		2–1 Florida
Apopka, Florida
2002 Kentucky
Pleasure Ridge Park, Kentucky 		1–0 Japan
Sendai, Japan
2003 Japan
Musashi-Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan 		10–1 Florida
East Boynton Beach, Florida
2004 Curaçao
Willemstad, Curaçao 		5–2 California
Thousand Oaks, California
2005 Hawaii
Ewa Beach, Hawaii 		7–6 (F/7) Curaçao
Willemstad, Curaçao
2006 Georgia (U.S. state)
Columbus, Georgia 		2–1 Japan
Kawaguchi City, Japan
2007 Georgia (U.S. state)
Warner Robins, Georgia 		3–2 (F/8) Japan
Tokyo, Japan
2008 Hawaii
Waipahu, Hawaii 		12–3 Mexico
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
2009 California
Chula Vista, California 		6–3 Taiwan
Taoyuan County, Taiwan
2010 Japan
Edogawa Minami, Tokyo, Japan 		4–1 Hawaii
Waipahu, Hawaii
2011 California
Huntington Beach, California 		2–1 Japan
Hamamatsu City, Japan
2012 Japan
Tokyo-Kitasuna, Tokyo, Japan 		12–2 (F/5) Tennessee
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
2013 Japan
Musashi-Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan 		6–4 California
Chula Vista, California
2014 South Korea
Seoul, South Korea 		6-0 (fft.) Nevada
‡Las Vegas, Nevada
2015 Japan
Tokyo-Kitasuna, Tokyo, Japan 		18–11 Pennsylvania
Lewisberry, Pennsylvania
2016 New York (state)
Maine-Endwell, New York 		2–1 South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
2017 Japan
Tokyo-Kitasuna, Tokyo, Japan 		12–2 (F/5) Texas
Lufkin, Texas
2018 Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 		3–0 South Korea
Seoul, South Korea
2019 Louisiana
River Ridge, Louisiana 		8–0 Curaçao
Willemstad, Curaçao
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[22][24]
2021 Michigan
Taylor, Michigan 		5–2 Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
2022 Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 		13–3 (F/4) Curaçao
Willemstad, Curaçao
2023 California
El Segundo, California 		6–5 Curaçao
Willemstad, Curaçao
2024 Florida
Lake Mary, Florida 		2–1 (F/8) Taiwan
Taoyuan, Taiwan

‡ Forfeits due to ineligible players:

  1. 1992: Zamboanga City, Philippines, was disqualified and stripped of its 1992 world championship for overage players. Zamboanga City won 15-4 over Long Beach.
  2. Chicago was disqualified and stripped of the U.S. championship in 2014 for geographical restrictions; the U.S. championship was reallocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, which lost the U.S. championship match to Chicago.

Championship tally

[edit]

Championships won by country/state

[edit]
Rank Team Titles Years
– United States United States 40 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
1 Taiwan Taiwan 17 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996
2 Japan Japan 11 1967, 1968, 1976, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017
3  California 8 1961, 1962, 1963, 1992‡, 1993, 2009, 2011, 2023
4  Pennsylvania 4 1947, 1948, 1955, 1960
 Connecticut 1951, 1952, 1965, 1989
 New Jersey 1949, 1970, 1975, 1998
 Hawaii 2005, 2008, 2018, 2022
8 Mexico Mexico 3 1957, 1958, 1997
Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia 1983, 2006, 2007
South Korea South Korea 1984, 1985, 2014
 New York 1954, 1964, 2016
12  Texas 2 1950, 1966
Venezuela Venezuela 1994, 2000
 Michigan 1959, 2021
15  Alabama 1 1953
 New Mexico 1956
Washington (state) Washington 1982
 Kentucky 2002
 Curaçao 2004
 Louisiana 2019
 Florida 2024

Championship notes

[edit]
  • In November 1974, "whispers about overage Asian participants grew to shouts" when over a three-year stretch Taiwan outscored U.S. teams, 120–2, in a span of nine Little League World Series games. Then LLWS chairman Peter McGovern reluctantly agreed to a blanket ban of all international teams. After an uproar of criticism and an investigation that could produce no evidence of rules violations,[25] the ban was rescinded for the 1976 event.[26]
  • In 1976, the tournament was split into two brackets; one for International teams, and one for teams representing the United States. As a result, a team representing the United States is assured of being in the finals each year.
  • In 1985, Mexicali, Mexico, represented the West Region of the United States in the Little League World Series. Because of its proximity to the El Centro/Calexico area in Southern California, Mexicali competed in and represented California's District 22 in the Southern California division from 1957 to 1985, representing the bordering city of Calexico, California.[27]
  • In 1992, Long Beach was declared a 6–0 winner after the international tournament committee determined that Zamboanga City had used ineligible players that were either not from within its city limits, over age, or both. The championship game was originally won by Zamboanga City, 15–4.
  • From 1997 to 2002, no teams from Taiwan participated in the tournament. In 1997, the Taiwan Baseball Association decided its leagues would no longer charter with Little League. From the introduction of Far East teams in 1967 until after 1996, Taiwan had won 17 of a possible 30 championships and had been runner-up twice.[28]
Due to complicated relations with the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China—commonly known as Taiwan—is recognized by the name Chinese Taipei by a majority of international organizations, including Little League Baseball. LLWS records and news accounts may use Republic of China, Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei to refer to the same entity.
  • In 2001, Danny Almonte, a pitcher from the Bronx, New York, team representing the Mid-Atlantic Region, was discovered to not be eligible because he was two years over the maximum age limit. Because of this, the Mid-Atlantic team was retroactively assessed a forfeit for each game they won in the tournament.[29] The team's statistics, including a perfect game thrown by Almonte, were scrubbed from the record.[29]
  • In 2009, a team from Taiwan reached the championship match for the first time since 1996, but lost to a team from Chula Vista, California.
  • In 2014, Chicago defeated Las Vegas for the U.S. championship before losing to Seoul, South Korea, in the LLWS championship. On February 11, 2015, Chicago was stripped of its U.S. title for fielding ineligible players; it was retroactively awarded to Las Vegas.
  • In 2019, River Ridge became the first team since the expansion to 16 teams in 2001, and the second team in tournament history, to win the LLWS after losing their first game of tournament play (the first such team was Maracaibo, Venezuela, winners of the 2000 tournament).

Notable participants in the Little League World Series

[edit]

Major League Baseball players

[edit]

According to the official Little League website, as of 2024, there have been 64 MLB players who played in the LLWS.[30]

National Football League players

[edit]

National Hockey League players

[edit]

Other

[edit]

Media coverage

[edit]
See also: Little League World Series on television and List of Little League World Series Championship Game broadcasters

The first broadcast of the Little League World Series on television was on ABC Sports (now ESPN on ABC) in 1963. For years, only the championship game was televised. Since the late 1980s, when the tournament was reorganized, both the U.S. and international championships, the "semifinals", have been shown. As the years passed, more telecasts were added on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. In 2006, 28 of the 36 games were televised on the three networks. In addition, several regional tournament games, which are qualifiers for the LLWS, are televised on ESPN during the days leading up to the LLWS.

The 2006 world championship game was to be the last telecast on ABC Sports before ESPN's complete takeover of the sports division and name change. However, the final was postponed one day because of rain and was shown by ESPN2.

In January 2007, it was announced that ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC had extended their contract with the Little League organization through 2014.[32] That year, every game of the LLWS was scheduled to be televised for the first time, with all but one game live on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC. (The other game was to be available online at ESPN360, then shown on ESPN2 the next day.) In addition, a number of games were to be shown in high-definition on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. The championship games in all other divisions, as well as the semifinals and finals of the Little League Softball World Series, was scheduled for either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.[32]

In June 2011, it was announced that ESPN would add 17 games to its schedule on ESPN 3D.[33]

Coverage of the qualifying games has increased substantially in the US within the past decade: as of 2018, all regional group games (with the exception of the Southwest region) are available via subscription online through the ESPN+ platform, with the last three games of each regional tournament on an ESPN network. The aforementioned Southwest regional games are aired in full on the Longhorn Network (itself owned by ESPN). The increased level of participation, competition, and publicity of the Little League World Series in recent years has established a trend in the opposite direction of many other preteen sports.

Most LLWS games are broadcast live on local radio station WRAK 1400AM, which is owned by iHeartMedia. On August 25th 2024 Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1 announced they acquired coverage as part of a new 7 year deal beginning in 2025.

Other divisions in Little League Baseball

[edit]

After discontinuing their big league divisions in 2017 due to low participation levels over the previous 15 years,[34] seven of the remaining eleven divisions of Little League Baseball has its own World Series format (including three in girls' softball).

Division Location Years active Age of players Series
Little League Baseball South Williamsport, Pennsylvania 1947–present 11–12 years old Little League World Series
Little League Intermediate Division Livermore, California 2013–present 11–13 years old Intermediate Little League World Series
Junior League Baseball Taylor, Michigan 1981–present 13–14 years old Junior League World Series
Senior League Baseball Easley, South Carolina 1961–present 14–16 years old Senior League World Series
Big League Baseball Easley, South Carolina 1968–2016 16–18 years old Big League World Series
Little League Softball Greenville, North Carolina 1974–present 11–12 years old[35] Little League World Series (softball)
Junior League Softball Kirkland, Washington 1999–present 12–14 years old[35] Junior League World Series (softball)
Senior League Softball Sussex County, Delaware 1976–present 13–16 years old[35] Senior League World Series (softball)
Big League Softball Sussex County, Delaware 1982–2016 14–18 years old[35] Big League World Series (softball)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Player Age Requirements". Little League World Series. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. ^ "World Series Player Age Requirements". Little League International. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  3. ^ World Series History Archived 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Associated Terms of Little League".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g For an overview of Little League's tournament process, go to Japanese Regional Little League Tournament Historical Results and click on "LL Tournament Process Overview" (at the bottom of the left-hand margin), for "The Little League Baseball International Tournament." Unpage Publications. March 27, 2008. Retrieved on 2016-12-30.
  6. ^ "Little League Baseball State Champions (1950–2011)". Little League International. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  7. ^ "Unpage". The Unpage website is dedicated to providing you with current and historical coverage of Little League Baseball state and region tournaments in the major baseball (11–12 years old) division.
  8. ^ "Canadian Region Little League Tournament Historical Results". Unpage Publications. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b c "Little League Baseball and Little League Softball World Series to Expand in 2021". Little League Baseball. Little League International. August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "Regions Realigned for 2013: Australia to Play in Little League Baseball World Series" (Press release). Little League Baseball. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c See: Little League World Series (Far East Region) § 1975 Ban.
  12. ^ [1] Archived April 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Communications Division (June 16, 2011). "2011 Little League Baseball World Series Schedule Announced". Little League. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  14. ^ "2012 Little League Baseball World Series Schedule". Little League. Archived from the original on 2012-08-22. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Little Leaguers are set to play under the lights". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. August 24, 1992. p. 1C.
  16. ^ Wulf, Steve (August 18, 2016). "As Williamsport opened its arms to Mexico's team, its players embraced the legacy of their predecessors from Monterrey". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  17. ^ "General Information for the 2009 Little League Baseball World Series". LittleLeague.org. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009.
  18. ^ "The 22 Girls Who Have Made Little League Baseball® World Series History". Little League. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  19. ^ Morrison, Jim (5 April 2010). "The Little League World Series' Only Perfect Game". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  20. ^ "Little league takes it back: Foreigners can play". [Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. December 31, 1975. p. 2B.] December 31, 1975.
  21. ^ Smith, Craig (August 21, 2010). "1982 Kirkland story retold". seattletimes.com. The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Little League® Cancels 2020 World Series and Region Tournaments". littleleague.org. April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  23. ^ Sutelan, Edward (August 19, 2021). "Why there are no international teams in the 2021 Little League World Series". Sporting News. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "Little League World Series canceled for first time because of coronavirus pandemic". ESPN. April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  25. ^ Holmes, Baxter (August 16, 2011). "With adults involved, youth baseball can be more than child's play". Los Angeles Times.
  26. ^ "Little League takes it back: foreigners can play". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. December 31, 1975. p. 2B.
  27. ^ See: Mexico in the Little League World Series.
  28. ^ ”Taiwan, once dominant, to return to Little League”. Associated Press Newswires, 25 April 2003
  29. ^ a b "It's true: Almonte is age 14—Bronx must forfeit Little League wins". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. AP. September 1, 2001. p. B1. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Major Leaguers Played in LLBWS". Little League Baseball. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "From Little League to the major leagues". From Little League to the major leagues. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  32. ^ a b "What's on TV? Little League Dominates August Lineup". LittleLeague.org. 1 August 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007.
  33. ^ Communications Division (June 15, 2011). "ESPN 3D Adds Little League World Series Games to its Broadcast Schedule". Little League. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  34. ^ "Little League eliminates Big League division in both baseball and softball". 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  35. ^ a b c d "Softball – Divisions of Play". Archived from the original on 2016-09-13. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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