Little League World Series

Coming: August 2025

Little League player, 2005

The Little League World Series (often abbreviated as LLWS) is a youth baseball championship which is held every August in Williamsport, PA. Unlike the "World Series" in Major League Baseball, which is actually just the championship series for MLB, the Little League World Series is truly a world-wide series. The LLWS includes representatives from nearly every part of the globe, although rule changes implemented in the mid-1990s ensure that one US team always plays in the championship game. The series is administered by Little League, Inc. and is not affiliated with any other youth baseball organization.

Regional LLWS championship games are televised on the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks. Most games from the LLWS itself are also televised on these networks. The United States Championship game and the World Championship game are televised on ABC. These telecasts often include interviews with the players as well as bits of trivia about the boys who make up the teams.

The competition features boys (and occasionally girls) who have won regional championships to make their way to the series. Boys who are 11 and 12 years old are allowed to play in the series. This is one reason so many boylovers follow the series with a passion. Due to the way the boy's age is computed for the series, some 13-year-olds use to be allowed to play if they turned thirteen after May 1st. However due to recent rule changes beginning with the 2018 season, the date to determine a player’s Little League age will be August 31, meaning that 13-year-olds will no longer be allowed to play. This means that depending on their birth date, some boys will only be eligible to play Little League baseball for one season.

Little League player, 2005

History

Carl Stotz, a resident of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, founded Little League Baseball in 1939. He began experimenting with his idea in the summer of 1938 when he gathered his nephews, Jimmy and Major Gehron and their neighborhood friends. They tried different field dimensions over the course of the summer and played several informal games. The following summer Stotz felt that he was ready to establish what later became Little League Baseball. The first league in Williamsport had just three teams, each sponsored by a different business. The first teams, Jumbo Pretzel, Lycoming Dairy, and Lundy Lumber, were managed by Carl Stotz and two of his friends, George and Bert Bebble. The men, joined by their wives and another couple, formed the first-ever Little League Board of Directors. Stotz' dream of establishing a baseball league for boys to teach fair play and teamwork had come true.

Little League team, 2005

The first League game took place on June 6, 1939. Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy, 23-8. Lycoming Dairy came back to claim the league championship. They, the first-half-season champions, defeated Lundy Lumber, the second-half champs, in a best-of-three season-ending series. The following year a second league was formed in Williamsport, and from there Little League Baseball grew to become an international organization of nearly 200,000 teams in every U.S. state and over 80 countries around the world.

The First Little League World Series

The 1947 Little League World Series took place in August 1947 and was played at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Maynard Midgets of Williamsport, Pennsylvania defeated the Lock Haven All Stars of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania 16–7 to win the championship.

In 1947 , the board of directors for the original Little League decided to organize a tournament for the 17 known Little League programs. The fields on which the games were played are between the street and a levee built to protect the town from the West Branch Susquehanna River. That levee provided most of the seating for the inaugural series' attendees. Although the Little League World Series has now moved to a stadium in South Williamsport, it's still possible to play baseball on the original field.

The inaugural series was important in history in that it was integrated at a time when professional baseball was still integrating. More than 2,500 spectators enjoyed the final game, which helped to increase the League's overall publicity.

Little League World Series champions Year Boys with smiley faces Score Boys who need hugs 1947 Williamsport, PA 16–7 Lock Haven, PA 1948 Lock Haven, PA 6–5 St. Petersburg, FL 1949 Hammonton, NJ 5–0 Pensacola, FL 1950 Houston, TX 2–1 Bridgeport, CT 1951 Stamford, CT 3–0 Austin, TX 1952 Norwalk, CT 4–3 Monongahela, PA 1953 Birmingham, AL 1–0 Schenectady, NY 1954 Schenectady, NY 7–5 Colton, CA 1955 Morrisville, PA 4–3 Merchantville, NJ 1956 Roswell, NM 3–1 Merchantville, NJ 1957 Monterrey, NL, Mexico. 4–0 La Mesa, CA 1958 Monterrey,NL, Mexico 10–1 Kankakee, IL 1959 Hamtramck, MI 12–0 Auburn, CA 1960 Levittown, PA 5–0 Ft. Worth, TX 1961 El Cajon, CA 4–2 El Campo, TX 1962 San Jose, CA 3–0 Kankakee, IL 1963 Granada Hills, CA 2–1 Stratford, CT 1964 Staten Island, NY 4–0 Monterrey, NL, Mexico 1965 Windsor Locks, CT 3–1 Stoney Creek, Ontario 1966 Houston, TX 8–2 W. New York, NJ 1967 West Tokyo, Japan 4–1 Chicago, IL 1968 Wakayama, Osaka, Japan 1–0 Richmond, VA 1969 Taichung, Taiwan 5–0 Santa Clara, CA 1970 Wayne, NJ 2–0 Campbell, CA 1971 Tainan, Taiwan 12–3(F/9) Gary, IN 1972 Taipei, Taiwan 6–0 Hammond, IN 1973 Tainan, Taiwan 12–0 Tucson, AZ 1974 Kaohsiung,Taiwan 12–1 Red Bluff, CA 1975 Lakewood, NJ 4–3 Tampa, FL 1976 Chofu, Tokyo, Japan 10–3 Campbell, CA 1977 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 7–2 El Cajon, CA 1978 Pingtung, Taiwan 11–1 Danville, CA 1979 Chiayi County, Taiwan 2–1 Campbell, CA 1980 Hua-Lien, Taiwan 4–3 Tampa, FL 1981 Taichung, Taiwan 4–2 Tampa, FL 1982 Kirkland, WA 6–0 Chiayi, Taiwan 1983 Marietta, GA 3–1 Barahona, Dom. Rep. 1984 Seoul, S. Korea 6–2 Altamonte Springs, FL 1985 Seoul, S. Korea 7–1 Calexico, CA 1986 Tainan City, Taiwan 12–0 Tucson, AZ 1987 Hua-Lien, Taiwan 21–1 Irvine, CA 1988 Taichung, Taiwan 10–0 Pearl City, HI 1989 Trumbull, CT 5–2 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1990 Tainan County, Taiwan 9–0 Shippensburg, PA 1991 Taichung, Taiwan 11–0 San Ramon Valley, CA 1992 Long Beach, CA 6–0 Zamboanga City, Phil. ‡ 1993 Long Beach, CA 3–2 Chiriquí, Pan. 1994 Maracaibo, Venezuela 4–3 Northridge, CA 1995 Tainan City, Taiwan 17–3(F/5) Spring, TX 1996 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 13–3(F/5) Cranston, RI Year Boys with smiley faces Score Boys who need hugs 1997 Guadalupe, Mex. 5–4 South Mission Viejo, CA 1998 Toms River, NJ 12–9 Kashima, Japan 1999 Osaka, Japan 5–0 Phenix City, AL 2000 Maracaibo, Venezuela 3–2 Bellaire, TX 2001 Tokyo, Japan 2–1 Apopka, FL 2002 Louisville, KY 1–0 Sendai, Japan 2003 Tokyo, Japan 10–1 East Boynton Beach, FL 2004 Willemstad, Curaçao 5–2 Thousand Oaks, CA 2005 Ewa Beach, HI 7–6 (F/7) Willemstad, Curaçao 2006 Columbus, GA 2–1 Kawaguchi City, Japan 2007 Warner Robins, GA 3–2 (F/8) Tokyo, Japan 2008 Waipahu, HI 12–3 Tamaulipas, Mexico 2009 Chula Vista, CA 6–3 Taoyuan County, Taiwan 2010 Tokyo, Japan 4–1 Waipahu, HI 2011 Huntington Beach, CA 2–1 Hamamatsu City, Japan 2012 Tokyo, Japan 12–2(F/5) Goodlettsville, TN 2013 Tokyo, Japan 6 - 4 Chula Vista, CA 2014 Seoul, South Korea 8 - 0 Chicago, Illinois ‡ 2015 Tokyo, Japan 18 - 11 Red Land, PA 2016 Maine-Endwell, NY 2 - 1 Seoul, South Korea 2017 Kitasuna, Tokyo, Japan 12–2(F/5) Lufkin, Texas 2018 Honolulu, Hawaii 3–0 Seoul, South Korea 2019 River Ridge, Louisiana 8–0 Willemstad, Curaçao 2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Taylor, Michigan 5-2 Hamilton, Ohio 2022 Honolulu, Hawaii 13-3(F/4) Willemstad, Curaçao 2023 El Segundo, California 6-5 Willemstad, Curaçao 2024 Lake Mary, Florida 2–1 (F/8) Taoyuan, Taiwan 2025 2026 Forfeits due to ineligible players ‡ Zamboanga City was disqualified and stripped of its 1992 championship. ‡ Jackie Robinson West, Chicago, Illinois was stripped of its 2014 US Championship title, which was given to US runner-up Las Vegas. Trivia In 1955,Carl Stotz was barred from Little League's headquarters by sheriff's deputies. The corporate executives who took over administration Little League Baseball Inc. wrote him out of all the official histories. They also severed relations with the Original League, the very first Little League, which Stotz continued to run on the same field where it all began in 1939. He never visited Lamade Stadium where World Series games are played -- even though admission is free and he lived only 3 miles away. Little League international team, 2005 From 1951 through 1974, Little League was for boys only. In 1974, Little League rules were revised to allow participation by girls in the baseball program following the result of a lawsuit filed by the National Organization for Women on behalf of Maria Pepe. In 1975, Little League Baseball banned all non-US teams from the World Series. After considerable criticism, the ban was rescinded the following year. 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. In 2001, Danny Almonte, a pitcher from the team representing the Mid-Atlantic, would be the center of a scandal where it was discovered that Almonte was not eligible to play in the tournament because he was two years over the maximum age limit. Because of this, the Mid-Atlantic team was forced to forfeit every game in the tournament they participated in retroactively. On February 11, 2015, Jackie Robinson West was stripped of its US titles and all of its wins after having been revealed to have used ineligible players. The US title was retroactively awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League of Las Vegas. On Augest 19, 2016, Canada upsets Japan which was Japan's first loss in a season opener at the LLWS since 1965. 2020 – For the first time in its history, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 – For the first time since 1975, the tournament was restricted to US-based teams, due to continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Little League Museum Located on the Little League International Complex on Route 15 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States, the Museum opened in 1982. It was closed from September 1, 2012 until June 6, 2013 during which time it underwent a major renovation. The museum re-opening kicks off a 14-month celebration of Little League’s 75th anniversary, culminating with the Little League Baseball World Series in August 2014. The Museum contains artifacts and interactive media about Little League baseball through the years and also other items such as a uniform worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth. References External Links Game Information LLWS Home Page Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store