Relive the funniest moments in Little League World Series history
Every year, we see magical things happen in Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series, and this year should be no different. Already in the regional round we saw a 63-pitch perfect game, a kid reach base in 13 of his 15 plate appearances and, of course, the legendary Big Al.
To get ready for this year's tournament, let's go back over some of the coolest and most fun Little League World Series moments from the last few years.
Little League pitcher allows a grand slam so majestic, he has to watch in awe
Cole Wagner had quite the LLWS back in 2015, knocking four homers to help lead his Pennsylvania team to the U.S. championship. His highlight to remember has to be this grand slam against Missouri that went so far the opposing pitcher watched in total admiration as the ball disappeared into the night.
Announcer doubts Little Leaguer can actually hit one into the trees, said Little Leaguer immediately hits one into the trees
I dare you to find me a better baseball name than "Jayce Blalock."
"They said he could hit it into the trees ..."
You were saying? #LLWS pic.twitter.com/QcWJnimLnV - Little League (@LittleLeague) August 6, 2017
Mexican Little Leaguer blasts a big fly with such force that it dents a car in the parking lot
Sure it's impressive that Team Mexico's Andre Garza hit a blast powerful enough to dent the hood of a car in the parking lot, but it's even crazier that he hit it to the opposite field!
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Oregon head coach conducts mound visit just to tell his son, the pitcher, he loves him
Perhaps Major League pitching coaches and catchers could try this more often during their mound visits. This heartwarming moment from the 2016 World Series between dad/coach Joel Jensen and son/pitcher Isaiah worked out strategically as well considering Isaiah struck out the next batter he faced.
South Carolina Little Leaguer hits monumental dinger while his family is being interviewed live
The only appropriate way to interrupt an interview is to hit a baseball 350-plus feet as South Carolina's Terrence Gist did in this moment from 2015.
Little Leaguer Blake Money's brother, Cash, lives up to his name
Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear dollar-sign sunglasses.
cash money is even more cash money than i expected him to be pic.twitter.com/GADd7EWltM - Lana Berry (@Lana) August 15, 2014
Jake Mintz is the louder half of the Cespedes Family BBQ. Despite a torn UCL in his right elbow, he still finds a way to tweet excessively during baseball games.
The Little League World Series is just around the corner, which means that it's time for these kids to go Big League. The Little League World Series is great, because it puts kids on the stage. Seeing 10-12 year olds get the MLB treatment is always fun, from their name cards to them highlighting the things that they like.
So, who will steal the show this year?
As always, the bracket is going to include eight United States regions and eight international teams. The United States regions will play each other, as will the international ones, until the winners of each bracket square off in the final game. Last year, Japan defeated Lufkin Little League, representing the Southwest Region out of Lufkin, Texas.
Here's the schedule for each day. Scores will be updated as games are completed. All games can be streamed on WatchESPN.
Click here for live Lilttle League World Series bracket.
Thursday, Aug. 16 (Round 1)
Game 1: Asia-Pacific 4, Caribbean 2
Game 2: Mid-Atlantic 5, Midwest 2
Game 3: Mexico 3, Australia 2
Game 4: Southwest 3, New England 1
Friday, Aug. 17 (Round 1)
Game 5: Europe/Africa vs. Japan -- 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 6: Northwest vs. Great Lakes -- 4 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 7: Latin America vs. Canada -- 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 8: Southeast vs. West -- 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, Aug. 18 (Round 2 -- loser's bracket)
Game 9: Caribbean vs. Australia -- 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 10: Midwest vs. New England -- 3 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 11: Game 5 loser vs. Game 7 loser -- 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 12: Game 6 loser vs. Game 8 loser -- 8 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday, Aug. 19 (Round 2 -- winner's bracket)
Game 13: Asia-Pacific vs. Mexico -- 9 a.m. ET on ESPN
Game 14: Mid-Atlantic vs. Southwest -- 11 a.m. ET on ESPN
Game 15: Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner -- 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 16: Game 6 winner vs. Game 8 winner -- 2 p.m. ET on ABC
Monday, Aug. 20 (Round 3)
Game A (Consolation): Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 loser -- 11 a.m. ET on ESPN
Game 17: Game 15 loser vs. Game 9 winner -- 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 18: Game 16 loser vs. Game 10 winner -- 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 19: Game 13 loser vs. Game 11 winner -- 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Game 20: Game 14 loser vs. Game 12 winner -- 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Tuesday, Aug. 21 (Round 4)
Game B (Consolation): Game 11 loser vs. Game 12 loser -- 11 a.m. ET on ESPN
Game 21: Game 17 winner vs. Game 19 winner -- 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 22: Game 18 winner vs. Game 20 winner -- 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Wednesday, Aug. 22 (Quarterfinals)
Game 23: Game 13 winner vs. Game 15 winner -- 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 24: Game 14 winner vs. Game 16 winner -- 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Thursday, Aug. 23 (Quarterfinals)
Game 25: Game 21 winner vs. Game 23 loser -- 3 p.m. on ESPN
Game 26: Game 22 winner vs. Game 24 loser -- 7 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday, Aug. 25 (Semifinals)
Game 27: International Championship Game, Game 23 winner vs. Game 25 winner -- 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 28: U.S. Championship Game, Game 24 winner vs. Game 26 winner -- 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Sunday, Aug. 26 (Championship and third-place game)
Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Friday marks Day 2 of the 2018 Little League World Series, held annually in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
There are eight U.S. teams and eight international teams playing in a double-elimination tournament spanning 11 days. The U.S. teams and international squads are on opposite sides of the bracket, which sets up a U.S.-International contest for the LLWS championship on August 26. Japan is the defending champion, although last year's team hailed from Tokyo. This year, the country is represented by kids from Kawaguchi.
The tournament started with four games on the first day and another four games are set for Friday, which means every team will have made its tournament debut before the weekend.
The Little League World Series offers kids a chance to become heroes on an international level, a dream usually only afforded to the pros. It's a dream come true for every player, parent and coach involved.
Check out Friday's schedule, TV info and predictions below.
Friday's 2018 LLWS Schedule Matchup Time (ET) TV Prediction Barcelona, Spain (Europe-Africa Region) vs. Kawaguchi, Japan (Japan Region) 2 p.m. ESPN Kawaguchi, Japan Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (Northwest) vs. Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan (Great Lakes) 4 p.m. ESPN Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan Arraijan, Panama (Latin America) vs. Surrey, British Columbia (Canada) 6 p.m. ESPN Arraijan, Panama Peachtree City, Georgia (Southeast) vs. Honolulu, Hawaii (West) 8 p.m. ESPN Honolulu, Hawaii www.littleleague.org
If Thursday's games are any indication, there will be plenty of nervous folks in Williamsport on Day 2. Every game on Day 1 was decided by three runs or less. Staten Island, New York, was the most comfortable winner, defeating Des Moines, Iowa, 5-2.
The most dramatic finish came in the Mexico-Australia contest, where the team from Matamoros won in walk-off fashion to win 3-2, per the Little League:
While no team is in danger of going home just yet, it's a much tougher road to the final when trying to claw back from the loser's bracket.
A team to keep an eye on Friday is Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores, Michigan. They are representing the Great Lakes region for the second year in a row, and the Little Leaguers from Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores also made the LLWS in 2013. Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Brennan Hill, Grosse Point's pitcher and outfielder, is the third kid from his family to play at the LLWS.
According to the Detroit Free Press' Jeff Seidel, Brennan's older brother Drew played last year, and the eldest brother Tyler was on the 2013 squad. The boys' father, Jason Hill, is in Williamsport so often he's got a good routine down.
"We are staying downtown, where we did for Tyler," Jason said, per Seidel. "It's a cool spot. We were able to get that hotel again. It’s nice knowing the ropes. It's helpful being able to go for a third time. You know what to expect."
Of course, another team to keep an eye on is Kawaguchi, Japan. The country is the second-most successful international team with 11 championships, trailing only Taiwan's 17. A team from Kawaguchi was runner-up in 2006, and there's always pressure on the group representing this baseball-loving country to perform.
They will be taking on a group from Barcelona, Spain, a city that conjures up visions of excellence on the soccer pitch rather than the baseball diamond. No doubt, the kids from Catalonia will be the underdogs, but perhaps their somewhat-unexpected appearance in this competition will allow them to play with a bit of freedom.
Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Thursday marks the beginning of the 2018 Little League World Series, as half of the 16-team field begins its quest for history in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The field is divided into two halves, with the eight qualifying teams from the United States on one side and eight international qualifiers on the other side. The tournament is a double-elimination format, with the U.S. champion and international champion squaring off on Aug. 26 to determine the winner.
Here's what the official bracket for this year's tournament looks like:
Thursday's Little League World Series Scores
Game 1: South Korea def. Puerto Rico, 4-2 (9 Innings)
Game 2: New York def. Iowa, 5-2
Game 3: Mexico def. Australia, 3-2
Game 4: Texas def. Rhode Island, 3-1
Texas 3, Rhode Island 1
The best pitching performance of the day went to the Texas duo of Carter Pitts and Ryan Selvaggi in a 3-1 win over Rhode Island.
Pitts and Selvaggi combined to allow two hits, one walk and one unearned run in six innings. Selvaggi recorded five outs to end the game, with three of them coming via strikeout.
With Texas' pitching doing an outstanding job of containing a Rhode Island lineup that averaged six runs in five games during regionals, the offense did just enough to secure the win. Selvaggi scored the go-ahead run in the third inning on a wild pitch.
Andy Guy provided Texas with an insurance run on an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Justin Michaels tallied half of Texas' hits in the win by going 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored.
Texas will play New York in the winner's bracket Sunday. Rhode Island returns to the diamond Saturday looking to keep its title hopes alive against Iowa.
Mexico 3, Australia 2
Down to its final out in the bottom of the sixth inning, Mexico walked off a 3-2 winner against Australia thanks to three consecutive hits.
Australia got a brilliant start from Oscar Hyde, who gave up one unearned run on three hits with 11 strikeouts in 5.2 innings. He was removed after getting Alberto Gomez to pop up for the second out of the fifth inning due to the pitch-count rule.
Gael Ponce didn't exactly struggle on the mound for Mexico. He settled down after Hyde took him deep for a two-run homer in the first inning to strike out 12 in 4.1 innings. Gomez was even better in relief of Ponce, allowing just one walk with five of his seven outs recorded via strikeout.
Fernando Lopez and Issak Arias got Mexico's rally started with a double and a single. Angel Martinez stepped up to the plate and delivered the walk-off single that scored Lopez and Arias.
The loss puts Australia in a must-win game against Puerto Rico on Saturday. Mexico advances to the winner's bracket where it will take on South Korea on Sunday.
New York 5, Iowa 2
New York scored four runs over the final three innings to start its run in the Little League World Series with a 5-2 win over Iowa.
After New York starting pitcher Steven Martinez allowed two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings, relievers Gregory Bruno and Derek Mendez were virtually unhittable. The duo combined to allow one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings.
Iowa was able to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the third on Blake Larson's RBI double and Alex Stewart's walk with the bases loaded.
New York went on top for good in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run error by Iowa. Mendez capped off the scoring in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double.
It was just two years ago that a New York team won the Little League World Series when Maine-Endwell defeated South Korea in the championship game. Mid-Island has a lot of work ahead to reach the top of the mountain, but this was an excellent start for the squad.
South Korea 4, Puerto Rico 2 (9 Innings)
The South Korean team rallied from a two-run deficit by scoring four unanswered runs to stun Puerto Rico, 4-2, in extra innings.
Puerto Rico took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Eric Rodriguez and Luis D. Rivera.
Rodriguez was also Puerto Rico's starting pitcher and did a fantastic job shutting down the South Korea lineup. He tossed 5.1 no-hit innings with eight strikeouts and three walks before being removed because of pitch-count rules.
After Rodriguez left the game, four straight South Korean batters reached base to tie the score at two.
Things remained even until the top of the ninth when Ji Hyung Choi was credited with the go-ahead RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Gi Jeong Kim added an insurance run with a single on the next pitch.
South Korea's pitching trio of Choi, Yeong Hyeon Kim and Jun Woo Lim combined for 20 strikeouts and four hits allowed in the win.
The win gives South Korea an additional day of rest before returning to the field on Sunday. Puerto Rico will attempt to keep its run in Williamsport going on Saturday.
