2019 Little League World Series
The 2019 Little League World Series was held from August 15 to August 25 at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Eight teams from the United States and eight teams from around the world competed in the 73rd edition of the Little League World Series.[1] Eastbank Little League of River Ridge, Louisiana defeated Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curaçao in the championship by a 8–0 score.[2] It was the first championship for a team from Louisiana, and in doing so, they became the first team to win the championship after losing its first game since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in 2001.[2] Also, with Honolulu Little League of Honolulu, Hawaii winning the title in 2018, U.S. teams have now won back-to-back titles for the first time since 2009, when Park View Little League from Chula Vista, California, ended the streak of five straight championships for the United States.[2]
| 2019 Little League World Series | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Dates | August 15–August 25 | |
| Teams participating | 16 | |
| Champion |   | |
| Runner-up |  | |
| ||
Tournament changes
Among the changes made by the Little League International Board of Directors to the rules, regulations, and policies of Little League was introduction of a rule concerning tied games. Should a game complete seven innings with the score still tied, the offensive team in each subsequent half-inning will start with a runner placed on second base. The runner is the player in the team's batting order who is scheduled to bat last in the half-inning.[3]
Teams
Regional qualifying tournaments were held from June to August 2019.
| United States | International |
|---|---|
 Great Lakes Region Bowling Green Eastern Little League |
 Asia-Pacific and Middle East Region Chung Nam (B) Little League |
 Mid-Atlantic Region Elmora Youth Little League |
 .svg.png){kind=small} Cronulla Little League |
 Midwest Region Coon Rapids Andover American Little League |
 .svg.png){kind=small} Coquitlam Little League |
 New England Region Barrington Little League |
Caribbean Region Pabao Little League |
 Northwest Region Sprague Little League |
 Europe and Africa Region Emilia Romagna Little League |
 Southeast Region Loudoun South Little League |
  Chofu Little League |
Southwest Region Eastbank Little League |
 Latin America Region Cacique Mara Little League |
 West Region Central East Maui Little League |
  Epitacio Mala Torres Little League |
Results
The draw to determine the opening round pairings took place on June 13, 2019.[4]
United States bracket
| August 16 – Game 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 18 – Game 14 (F/4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 21 – Game 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 18/19 – Game 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 24 – U.S. championship | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – Game 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 20 – Game 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 21 – Game 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – Game 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 19 – Game 20 (F/4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 22 – Game 26 (F/5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
International bracket
| August 15 – Game 1 (F/4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 18 – Game 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 21 – Game 23 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 5 (F/5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 18 – Game 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 16 – Game 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 24 – International championship | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – Game 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 19 – Game 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 20 – Game 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 17 – Game 11 (F/4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 19 – Game 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| August 22 – Game 25 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Consolation games
Teams that lose their first two games get to play a consolation game against a team from the other side of the bracket that also lost its first two games. These games are labeled Game A and Game B.
| Game A | ||
| August 19 – Volunteer Stadium | ||
| 4 | |
| 1 | |
| Game B | ||
| August 20 – Lamade Stadium | ||
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
Third place game
This consolation game is played between the runner-up of the United States championship and the runner-up of the International championship.
| Third place game | ||
| August 25 – Lamade Stadium | ||
| 0 | |
| 5 | |
World Championship
| Little League World Championship | ||
| August 25 – Lamade Stadium | ||
| 8 | |
| 0 | |
| 2019 Little League World Series Champions |
|---|
Eastbank Little League River Ridge, Louisiana |
Champions path
The Eastbank LL reached the LLWS with an undefeated record in nine games.[5] In total, their record was 15-1.
| Round | Opposition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State Tournament | ||
| Winner's Bracket Semifinals | Lafayette LL | 16-0 |
| Winner's Bracket Final | South Lake Charles LL | 14-0 |
| Finals | South Lake Charles LL | 16–0 (F/3) |
| Southwest Regional Tournament | ||
| Opening Round |  | 11-0 (F/4) |
| Winner's Bracket Semifinal |  | 4-1 |
| Winner's Bracket Final | | 6-5 |
| Finals | | 6-2 |
MLB Little League Classic
On August 19, 2018, it was announced that the third MLB Little League Classic would be played on August 18, 2019, at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, featuring the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates made their second appearance in the annual game, having won the inaugural Classic in 2017.[6] The game was won by the Cubs, 7–1.[7]
References
- "Dates and Logos for the 2019 Little League World Series Tournaments Announced". LittleLeague.com. August 19, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- "Louisiana Wins First Little League Title, Beating Curacao 8-0". Sports Illustrated. August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- "New Tournament Tiebreaker Structure and Roster Guidelines Highlight 2019 Little League Rule Changes". LittleLeague.com. December 13, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- "First-Round Pairings Highlight Announcements at 2019 Little League Baseball World Series Luncheon". littleleague.org. Little League International. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- "Southwestern Region Tournament Results". Unpage.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- Randhawa, Manny (August 19, 2018). "Bucs, Cubs to match up in 2019 LL Classic". Major League Baseball. MLB.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- "Cubs vs. Pirates - Box Score". ESPN. August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.