Little League World Series

The Little League World Series is a fun and exciting baseball tournament for kids aged 10 to 12 years old. It is held every year in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The tournament is organized by Little League Baseball and started in 1947. It was first called the National Little League Tournament but was later named after the World Series in Major League Baseball.

At first, only teams from the United States could join, but now kids from all over the world come to compete. The games are very popular, especially in the United States, and many people watch them on ESPN. Teams from different countries have won the tournament over the years. For example, teams from Taiwan and Japan have won many times.

The Little League World Series is one of seven World Series tournaments run by Little League International. These tournaments bring together teams from many places around the world to play baseball and girls' softball in different age groups. The Little League World Series is the most famous one, and it is played at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium in South Williamsport.

Qualifying tournaments

In the summer before the Little League World Series each August, Little League teams around the world pick their best players to form All-Star teams. These teams play in many tournaments at different levels — district, sectional, divisional, and regional — hoping to become champions and travel to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League World Series. The number of games teams need to play changes depending on where they are in the world.

In the United States, the way teams move through these tournaments can be different in each state. Larger states like Pennsylvania, New York, and California have many tournaments at each level, while smaller states may have fewer. Most states choose one team to represent them in regional tournaments, but California and Texas each send two teams because they are so big. Other countries and areas have their own ways of choosing their champion teams. For example, Canada holds tournaments in each province, and the winners meet in a national tournament to decide who will go to the Little League World Series.

Regions

See also: List of Little League World Series appearances by region

Starting in 2022, ten regional winners from the United States and ten from international regions compete in the Little League World Series. The United States regions include areas like the Great Lakes, Metro, and West. International regions include Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Australia, and Japan. These regions were set up after many changes over the years to make the tournament fair and exciting for all teams.

World Series tournament format

The Little League World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 10 to 12. It has 20 teams: 10 from the United States and 10 from other countries. The U.S. teams and international teams play in separate groups. A team must lose twice to be out of the tournament in the early rounds. Later, a team can only lose once to be out. The winners of the U.S. group and the international group play in the final game to decide the champion.

In the past, the tournament had fewer teams and used different rules. It started in 1947 with mostly U.S. teams. Over time, more teams from other countries joined. The way teams played changed several times, but the goal has always been to find the best team through fair competition.

Venues

The tournament is held at two stadiums: Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Lamade Stadium has been used since 1959, and Volunteer Stadium opened in 2001. Both stadiums are free to enter, but seats for the final game are given out by lottery because so many people want to watch. Some early games might use a first-come, first-served system if many fans are expected.

Age requirements

From 1947 to 2005, players had to be children who turned 13 on August 1 of that year or later. In 2006, the rule changed so that players who turned 13 after April 30 could also play. Because the Series happens in August, many players had already turned 13 by then. In 2014, Little League changed the age cutoff again, this time to December 31, but this caused concern among parents. To address this, a new plan was made in November 2015, allowing players born between May 1 and August 31, 2005, to still be considered 12-year-olds for the 2018 season. Since 2019, the rule uses August 31 as the determination date, meaning 13-year-olds are not allowed to play in the Series.

Girls in the tournament

A few girls have played in the Little League Baseball World Series.

Noteworthy events

• In 1952, a team from Montreal, Canada, played in the tournament first.
• In 1955, Rich Cominski from Morrisville, Pennsylvania hit the first walk-off home run in the championship game.
• In 1957, Monterrey, Mexico won the tournament, with pitcher Ángel Macías throwing a perfect game.
• In 1971, Lloyd McClendon from Gary, Indiana hit five home runs over three games.
• In 1974, the game between Jackson, Tennessee and Maracaibo, Venezuela ended 1–0 with a walk-off home run in the seventh inning.
• In 1975, international teams were not allowed but came back the next year.
• In 1982, Kirkland, Washington won the championship.
• In 1985, Mexicali won the United States Little League Championship.
• In 1993, Long Beach, California won two championships in a row.
• In 2005, Michael Memea from Ewa Beach, Hawaii won the championship with a walk-off home run.
• In 2007, Dalton Carriker from Warner Robins, Georgia hit a walk-off home run in the championship game.
• In 2011, future Major Leaguer Nick Pratto from Huntington Beach, California hit a walk-off single to win against Hamamatsu, Japan.
• In 2012, a team from Lugazi, Uganda played in the tournament first.
• In 2016, the team from Maine–Endwell, New York won all their games and defeated Seoul.
• In 2020, the tournament was canceled for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2021, only U.S.-based teams played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2023, Louis Lappe from El Segundo, California hit a walk-off home run in the championship game.

Little League World Series champions

See also: List of Little League World Series championship games

Championship tally

Championships won by country/state

Championship notes

• In 1974, there were concerns about some players from Asia being older than allowed. A rule was made to stop all international teams from playing, but this rule was changed back before 1976.
• In 1976, the tournament was split into two groups: one for teams from other countries, and one for teams from the United States. This means a U.S. team is always in the final game each year.
• In 1985, a team from Mexicali, Mexico, played for the West Region of the United States because it is close to California.
• In 1992, Long Beach was given a win after it was found that a team from Zamboanga City had players who were not allowed to play.
• From 1997 to 2002, teams from Taiwan did not play in the tournament because their baseball group decided not to work with Little League. Because of special rules between China and Taiwan, the name "Chinese Taipei" is used instead of Taiwan by many groups, including Little League Baseball.
• In 2001, a player from the Bronx, New York, was found to be older than allowed. Because of this, the team's wins were removed from the records.
• In 2009, a team from Taiwan reached the final game for the first time since 1996 but lost to a team from Chula Vista, California.
• In 2014, Chicago lost the final game to a team from Seoul, South Korea. Later, Chicago was found to have players who were not allowed to play, so Las Vegas was given the U.S. title instead.
• In 2019, River Ridge became the first team since 2001, and only the second team ever, to win the tournament after losing their first game. The first team to do this was Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 2000.

Notable participants in the Little League World Series

Major League Baseball players

As of 2024, 72 players who competed in Major League Baseball also played in the Little League World Series. These athletes went on to have successful careers in professional baseball after the tournament.

National Football League players

Several players from the National Football League also participated in the Little League World Series before pursuing their football careers. These athletes showed early talent in sports that led them to professional football.

National Hockey League players

A number of National Hockey League players have roots in the Little League World Series. These individuals started their sports journey in baseball before moving on to excel in hockey at the highest levels.

Other

Other notable individuals who participated in the Little League World Series include athletes from different sports and even someone who later became a state leader. Their time in the tournament marked the beginning of influential careers in various fields.

Media coverage

See also: Little League World Series on television

The Little League World Series first appeared on TV in 1963 on ABC Sports, now called ESPN on ABC. At first, only the final game was shown. Since the late 1980s, more games have been broadcast, including the U.S. and international championship games and the "semifinals." Over time, more games were shown on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. In 2006, 28 of the 36 games were shown on these networks. Regional tournament games that qualify teams for the Little League World Series were also shown on ESPN before the main event.

In 2006, the world championship game was supposed to be the last one on ABC Sports before ESPN took over. But because of rain, it was shown on ESPN2 the next day. In January 2007, ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC agreed to keep showing the games until 2014. That year, every game of the Little League World Series was scheduled to be shown for the first time. Almost all games were shown live on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC, with one game available online at ESPN360 and then shown on ESPN2 the next day. Some games were also shown in high-definition on these networks. The championship games in other divisions, as well as the semifinals and finals of the Little League Softball World Series, were shown on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU.

In 2011, ESPN added 17 more games to its schedule on ESPN 3D. Recently, more qualifying games have been shown in the U.S. As of 2018, most regional group games (except for the Southwest region) could be watched online through the ESPN+ platform, with the last three games of each regional tournament shown on an ESPN network. The Southwest regional games were shown on the Longhorn Network, owned by ESPN. Most Little League World Series games are also broadcast live on local radio station WRAK 1400AM, owned by iHeartMedia.

Other divisions in Little League Baseball

After stopping their big league divisions in 2017 because not many players were joining, seven of the eleven remaining divisions in Little League Baseball now have their own World Series events. This includes three events for girls' softball.