Tag: Little League World Series

Florida wins Little League World Series final with a chaotic walk-off bunt

Always bunt!

You’ve never seen a Little League World Series end like this!

On Sunday, Florida won its first ever Little League World Series after Lake Mary Little League bested Chinese Taipei 2-1 in extra time thanks to … a walk-off bunt. Yes, really!

With the runner on second thanks to the extra inning, Hunter Alexander put down a bunt in an attempt to move the runner to third. Chinese Taipei fielded it cleanly, but in the ensuing throw to first, no one was covering the base! The error allowed the runner on second to score the winning run, which caused Florida’s bench to erupt in celebration.

Talk about a wild way to end a hard-fought final between two incredible Little League teams. A brutal end for Chinese Taipei for sure, but what a finish!

12-year-old Teraj Alexander unbelievably stole home for Florida during the Little League World Series semifinal

What an all-time moment at the Little League World Series.

If you follow baseball in any context, you understand that stealing home is one of the more unbelievable plays in the game. There’s a reason we see it happen only once in a blue moon.

Now imagine doing it in a tense semifinal of the Little League World Series. Florida’s Teraj Alexander has made it a reality.

During a back-and-forth battle with Texas in the U.S. championship of the marquee Little League event, the 12-year-old Alexander saw a golden opportunity at home plate when the pitcher was a little too relaxed at the mound after a strikeout.

Alexander cruised through home to the shock of everyone, including the announcer, who fittingly captured the moment Florida took its first lead of the game at 5-4, which eventually won in a 10-7 thriller.

My goodness. I can’t fathom having the nerve to make that play in such a big spot, especially as a preteen. Kudos to Alexander for having the confidence and timing it perfectly.

Thanks in large part to Alexander’s heroics, Florida will now play Taiwan for this year’s Little League World Series title game on Sunday. Regardless of what happens next, Alexander and his Florida teammates will have this awesome to look back upon forever.

Mexico completed an absolutely incredible Little League World Series comeback victory to avoid elimination

What an amazing Little League World Series comeback win by Mexico.

Mexico pulled off an incredible comeback victory during Tuesday’s Little League World Series elimination round, made possible by two well-timed home runs.

During the game’s sixth inning against Cuba with an out to spare, Mexico erased a 4-1 deficit when Antonio Guerrero hit a homer to tie the game and Ulises Ortíz soon followed it with a runner on base to give the team a 6-4 win.

It was an incredible display of resilience for Mexico as it tries to bring home the championship, as scoring five runs with an inning to give in the bottom of the final inning makes for thrilling heroics on the world stage.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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New Duke basketball transfer Mason Gillis once played in Little League World Series

Mason Gillis will endear himself to the Cameron Crazies this fall, but die-hard Little League World Series fans might recognize him from a 2012 run.

Incoming Duke basketball transfer Mason Gillis might have won Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors on the basketball court in 2023-24, but his first national impression on the sports world came on the baseball diamond.

Gillis reached the Little League World Series in 2012 as a member of the New Castle Little League team that represented Indiana.

The new Blue Devil didn’t just coast his way to Williamsport at the bottom of the roster, either. He actually drove in the run that clinched New Castle’s ticket to the LLWS, a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the last inning against Kentucky that broke a tie in the Great Lakes final.

In a 2022 article from WLFI’s Kelly Hallinan, Gillis said he remembered feeling like a celebrity once he reached the big stage, signing autographs and taking pictures. He also said he held on to his equipment from that run, including his jersey and helmet.

“It’s such a once in a lifetime thing,” Gillis told Hallinan. “That’s how impactful it was in my life.”

Gillis and his teammates defeated Oregon in the opening round, but losses to Texas and Connecticut knocked them from the bracket.

13 current MLB players who once shined in the Little League World Series

Here are some players who featured in the world’s biggest youth baseball tournament.

The 2023 Little League World Series kicked off earlier last week. And for the youth future of baseball, it’s already given us a controversial moment, unfortunately involving the umps.

But we’re not here to talk about poor officiating and balls and strikes calls. We’re here to look at some current MLB stars and role players who once partly made names for themselves in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Sure, everyone takes a different path to the league. And any path you can take to play in the best baseball league on the planet is entirely valid.

But there’s something inherently cool about knowing that some of the youngsters we’ll see during this edition of the Little League World Series might well play in the MLB.

Let’s take a look at active MLB players who took this LLWS path before.

Little League World Series announcers: Who’s calling the 2024 tournament on ESPN and ABC?

Here’s who will be on the mic for the 2024 Little League World Series.

The 2024 Little League World Series is here, which means we’ll get some heroes and electrifying moments that will go viral.

And if you’re here, you might be wondering: who is on the mic for ESPN and ABC, which will be broadcasting the games from the tournament in Williamsport?

Fear not. We have the answer!

You’ll hear Karl Ravech on play-by-play along with Jessica Mendoza and Todd Frazier as analysts. Julie Foudy and Sabastian Salazar will be reporters.

You’ll also hear Mike Monaco on play-by-play with Xavier Scruggs as analyst. Eduardo Perez will also be an analyst, and they’ll be joined by Tim Kurkjian and Salazar.

Enjoy!

Andrew Smart, son of Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart, homers in Little League action

In the Little League World Series regional, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart’s yard goes the distance. #UGA #LLWS

Andrew Smart assumed nothing, going yard on Friday in a Little League World Series Regional game. The son of Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart,  it was a well-hit opposite field home run from Andrew Smart.

As the game announcers noted, Andrew Smart is the youngest son of Kirby Smart, who has won two national championships as head coach of Georgia.

Georgia (Oconee County American Little League in Watksinville) defeated South Carolina 8-6 in Friday’s game. They are now 1-1 in the regional tournament.

For those who are curious, Andrew Smart is a pitcher in the class of 2030 prospect. He bats right-handed and throws right-handed.

No truth to the rumors that Nick Saban is already protesting his commitment to Georgia baseball.

 

Just a bit of pumped up emotion from Andrew Smart rounding the basepath. Pumped up for sure, but no gloating or grandstanding.

Dad must have been proud about that sportsmanship for sure.

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The Little League World Series icon known as ‘Big Al’ is still hitting dingers (and nearly in college)

Big Al can still hit the ball out of the park and it is so beautiful.

His name is Alfred Delia. Back home, they used to call him Big Al. These days, he still hits dingers.

Delia became a star during the 2018 Little League World Series because of his amazing introduction. It was nearly impossible to watch Delia simply tell the world he hits home runs for his team in Middleton, N.J. without feeling a full sense of joy.

Flash forward and these days, quite a bit has changed for Delia and the world around him. But one thing that we now know for certain is that he still enjoys hitting the ball out of the park.

Delia, now a high school senior at Red Bank Catholic in New Jersey, just crushed his first homer since joining the varsity baseball team.

While he can still go yard, Delia said that people no longer call him Big Al because he is not very big anymore.

The senior plans to play college ball at Felician University, per Asbury Park Press.

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The electrifying Little League World Series walk-off home run even had an all-time announcer jinx

Karl Ravech noted that Curaçao had not allowed a home run at the World Series and then … boom!

The final pitch of the 2023 Little League World Series was a monstrous walk-off home run smashed by El Segundo third baseman Louis Lappe.

While representing the West Region against the Caribbean Region during the championship game, the 6-foot-1 rising star stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa.

Despite holding a 5-1 lead late in the game, the score was suddenly tied at 5-5 after El Segundo Little League allowed a grand slam against Curacao in the fifth inning.

Lappe, however, was exactly the player who El Segundo wanted to see at-bat for a chance to win the game. He needed just two pitches to prove why.

This was the fifth home run of the tournament, per MLB.com, which was the most hit by any player in the 2023 Little League World Series.

Lappe enjoyed the moment with a celebratory bat flip before rounding the bases, but one of the most fascinating moments of the Little League World Series actually happened before the pitch even crossed the plate.

Right before the big hit, longtime ESPN announcer Karl Ravech mentioned on the broadcast that Curacao had not allowed a home run to any player in the tournament.

Ravech could not have seen this coming, of course, but it was quite a jinx from the veteran play-by-play commentator.

It is rare to see such an immediate pipeline to @OldTakesExposed but Ravech managed to say something that deserved placement on the account within just a few seconds of it coming out of his mouth. Impressive!

After the home run, meanwhile, El Segundo became the first team from California to win the Little League World Series since 2011.

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Baseball fans loved that a Japan Little Leaguer chose Shohei Ohtani as his favorite superhero

The best answer.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be a baseball player in Japan. Led by Shohei Ohtani, Japan defeated the U.S. to win the World Baseball Classic. And now, Japan’s Little Leaguers are in Williamsport, Pa., looking to win the Little League World Series. The best pitcher on the planet happens to be from Japan too.

So, it’s no surprise that Ohtani remains a huge inspiration for the kids from Musashi Fuchu Little League.

During player introductions, it’s been customary for players to say their names and their favorite baseball player. Well, Team Japan pitcher Motoi Oda went even further than that for Ohtani. He chose the Angels two-way superstar as his favorite superhero.

I mean, that was just an excellent answer.

After all, Ohtani is basically putting together a superhuman season in 2023.

MLB fans also loved the answer from Oda.