2015 Little League World Series Thread

[montoursvillefan]

Seven international teams determined, Canada undetermined, U.S. regionals are in play now,
 
Try this link to see the games streamed.
http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/08/little_league_world_series_bas.html#incart_river
 
Enjoy.

Some Little League World Series related links.

The little league link itself.
http://www.<span sty...ague_Online.htm

ESPN's little league link.
http://espn.go.com/s...d</span>-series

The local radio station that carries the games
http://www.wrak.com/main.html

More local radio, the ESPN affiliate.
http://sports1050.com/

The local newspaper, now however needing a log-in to read.
http://www.sungazette.com/

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

My son tells me the SC team has a kid that throws 80. I don't recall any gun readings that high in the past. I know we've seen upper 70's, but don't recall anything in the 80's. 46 feet? That's guess hitting. 

 

[moondog80]

New England represented by Cranston Western, RI.  Seems like MA should have a natural edge but past 6 years have been 3 RI and 3 CT.  MA has won only 4 times in the 15 years where New England has had its own region.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

I watched the PA/NJ game yesterday.  Lefty on PA Wagner looked really good.  High 70s, great mechanics, and a definite fire in the belly.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I missed the SC game, but the kid that throws 80, Alex Edmondsun threw his second no hitter in a row. The final region game and the opening game in Williamsport. Just your typical 12 year old at 6'0" 160 lb, 80 mph throwing 13 year old. K'd 15. Throws a ton of curves. Appears to be the 4 hole hitter. 
 
Wondering if they have the pitching to make it back around to him in the rotation. The video highlights are at the bottom of this link.
 
 

 

[Fred not Lynn]

Why does a 13 year old with an 80 mph fastball need to throw anything else?

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Wow, hell of a game in the SC/PA winners bracket game. Down 6-0, SC comes back to lead 8-6, then loses in the bottom of the 9th. 
 
Unfortunately for them, they have Pedro as a 1, and then the 2015 Sox bullpen as the rest of the staff. Love these games. You can almost predict the momentum change. 

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Heck of an ending. Was Edmundson not available? I hope not. I don't know how many he threw the prior games, but if he could go one inning, keep it under 20 pitches and they won, they wouldn't have a game until Wednesday if I read correctly. I'm guessing he was not.

Wagner got hit a bit. I gather these two will meet again shortly.

 

[DJnVa]

Uganda-Chinese Taipei on now.
 
The umpire has a strike zone the size of Africa. One ball was in the other batter's box.

 

[canderson]

Bro coaches for Pearland. I live less than 10 minutes from Red Land.

I hope Pearland destroys them Wednesday.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

SC out, so no rematch.   Canderson, is there something you know about Red Land that makes you want them destroyed, or is it a mere family thing (or TX thing, both perfectly justifiable)?

 

[canderson]

SC out, so no rematch.   Canderson, is there something you know about Red Land that makes you want them destroyed, or is it a mere family thing (or TX thing, both perfectly justifiable)?

Wanted Texas to win, because family.

Too bad Red Land is a buzz saw.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

That was a heck of a baseball game last night.  I was waiting for TX hitters to wait on that slow curve (guess it instead of FB, vs other way around), and they finally did on the two HRs.   The extra innings hurts TX due to using their planned starter for tomorrow v. PA.   PA is set up pretty well for two games.
 
For some reason  #14 on CA reminds me of Anton Chigurh.

 

[canderson]

I'm glad the CA kid who tripped the TX kid at first base on purpose was the one who gave up the game-winning HR.
 
Karma is good. 

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Was that the elbow to the runner runnin through 1b, or was that another play?

 

[canderson]

Another. The elbow was separate, they had several BS plays. Then the cancer mouthed at the ref and got a lashing.

 

[montoursvillefan]

I have family living about 2 miles from Lewisberry, they tell me the community is going nuts down there. I say GO PA!

 

[jon abbey]

Great game right now in the international championship, Japan/Mexico scoreless bottom 7. Both starting pitchers still in, Japan just got their first hit of the game.

 

[jon abbey]

Japan wins 1-0.

Mexico is 0-6 the last three years against Japan, 11-0 against everyone else.

 

[canderson]

I have family living about 2 miles from Lewisberry, they tell me the community is going nuts down there. I say GO PA!

Nuts is an understatement. Pretty rednecky around there, so the live and die with kids. Nothing wrong with it, just what it is.

Bummed Pearland lost, but I know a few of the kids on Red Land and they're all good people so happy for the community here.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Pitching and defense on Japanese team is amazing every year. US is lucky their hitters aren't as dangerous.

 
Anyone else catch the hand shake line at the end of the Mexico/Japan game?  A couple of Mexican kids wouldn't shake hands (most notably the catcher, who held his hands behind his back), and at least one or two were slapping the Japanese kids hands as hard as they could.  To the point, where a couple of the Japanese kids were literally rubbing and shaking out their hands and looking back at the Mexican team, clearly upset by it.  Seems to have been more bush league crap this year than I can remember, both on and off the field. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Pennsylvania falls behind 2-0 in the top of the 1st, and then turn around and score 10 in the bottom of the inning, including a grand slam and a 3 run homer.  These kids are just a machine at the plate. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I should mention they are still hitting in the bottom of the 1st.  

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Japan responds with 5 runs, including 3 home runs, in the top of the 2nd, and they are still hitting with a runner on 1st and 1 out.  
 
I think it's about time for the LLWS to think about moving the fences back.  These kids are hitting 300 foot blasts, 100 feet over the fences in some cases.  The previous LLWS record for total home runs was 75.  They are already at 85 this year.
 
And the tying run is now at the plate for Japan with 2 men on. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Double for Japan, 10-9 game, top of the 2nd still.  Record for a LLWS Championship game is 23.  They might break that in two innings. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

There goes another one.  Opposite field line drive for Japan, 10-10, top of the 3rd.  I will say this, it's exciting.  

 

[shawnrbu]

Watching this Japanese team play is an absolute treat.  They can do it all - pitch, power, defense, bunt. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

This Pennsylvania team has outscored opponents something like 285-25 over their last 21 games this summer, including their last 3, which they won by a combined 5 runs.  Coming into this thing, they were probably one of the best teams in US history to come into the LLWS.  Whereas other countries are basically fielding their national teams, having one town produce this many good ballplayers in the US is very rare. 
 
13-10 now Japan, bottom of the 3rd.  Wagner just whiffed again (he's 6-13 in the series, with 7 strikeouts and 4 homers).  The kid up now, who homered earlier, might be playing the best of all of the PA players. 

 

[shawnrbu]

PA has run out of pitchers.  This could get ugly. 

 

[canderson]

So proud of Pearland to come back with 2 outs in the last inning to beat Mexico. They're great kids and the coaches are just very good dudes who are good role models.

 

[jon abbey]

Whereas other countries are basically fielding their national teams

 
Is this really true? I was under the impression that in Japan at least, it is essentially the same as the US, many teams competing to be the one to come to the US.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

 
Is this really true? I was under the impression that in Japan at least, it is essentially the same as the US, many teams competing to be the one to come to the US.

 
I should have been more clear.  Teams are supposed to be based on geography, and particularly, residency.  That was part of the whole Chinese Taipei scandal years ago,  where they were basically sending the national all star team.  However, I don't believe other countries have as many teams and "regions" as we do here, for many obvious reasons.  I'm not sure how you would even enforce something like that in a place like Uganda for example.  Some of these countries just don't have the ability to put together a little league system for every 10,000 or so residents like we do here (and in some cases, much, much less than that in the US).  For example, the Mexican team was the team from Mexicali Baja California, which is a city with a population coming up on a million people.  Maybe there are 50 little league teams there, and they compete like we do here, and the winning team in the end gets the trip, but I was under the impression that's not how it worked everywhere.  To put in easier terms, if the US is putting together teams based on towns, other countries might be putting them together based on a county or state size level.  It may not even be underhanded, they just might not have the infrastructure, resources, etc. to do it any other way, but I always thought the US kids were at a disadvantage when they played in the Championship, but that could all be related to the dominance of the All Star team from Chinese Taipei when I was growing up, and they've since fixed that.  

 

[BigMike]

Japan responds with 5 runs, including 3 home runs, in the top of the 2nd, and they are still hitting with a runner on 1st and 1 out.  
 
I think it's about time for the LLWS to think about moving the fences back.  These kids are hitting 300 foot blasts, 100 feet over the fences in some cases.  The previous LLWS record for total home runs was 75.  They are already at 85 this year.
 
And the tying run is now at the plate for Japan with 2 men on. 

 
How far back you want to move them?  These kids aren't scraping the ball just over the fence, you probably need to move them back 40 feet to make any significant impact.  I know they made changes to the bats a few years ago, but it seems this new generation which is within the rules, are way to hot.   I was running a practice Sat Night, and an average size 12 year old (maybe 5'2' 100 pounds),  hit three balls right down the line the opposite way on pitches he was struggling to catch up with.  I've seen another 12 who had almost no power take a poor off balance swing, but catch it just right, and hit one out to center, when he hadn't come within 40 feet of the fence all year  
 
Funny thing is I have used the bat myself to hit grounders, and I hate it,  it doesn't feel right at all,  but it seems to transfer velocity from the pitch in a highly efficient manner.
 
Back to the home runs.  It won't matter much in a few years when the age change goes into effect (2018), and the oldest player in the tournament are 8 months younger than they are today

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

I'm not sure one can put the genie back in the bottle, but these 12 year olds could be playing on 50/70 fields with leading/stealing, and the game would look more legit.   I think this is what they do for 13.  But the talent of these kids, the diamond is too small.  The OF wall is too short.   But a 50/70 field for these kids wouldn't be as good TV.   I gather ESPN puts a lot of money in the LL coffers.   The age eligibility rule change should help, but I'm not sure how much.

 

[BigMike]

The fields are already 25 feet more than the recommended minimum OF size, and I think you probably would have had to move them back close to 40 feet before you start really impacting the number of HR's that were hit this year in a substantial way, and if you do that then it starts impacting the game in other ways. OF's have to play deeper,  more triples, more bloop hits, even more doubles on somewhat routine ground balls.
 
Oh and moving the pitcher back to 50 feet is just going to make it worse.  At that distance it is a few fractions of a second more the players can wait to hit, and already for these kids a 70mph fastball is not intimidating. It will become more of a curveballer game than it already is,  which is bad for the game

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

If you move the fences back you'll have ground balls directly at outfielders that are doubles. Those kids don't have athleticism to cover large ground and throw the ball in to get runners moving 60 feet. I'm not sure what's going on with the bats. But those fences in Williamsport measure 210 on Google Earth. Clearing the bushes is 240. Lots of bombs were up the hill.

Edit: making similar points as Mike. On phone, didn't read it all. My bad.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

Good points all. I didn't fully think things through there.

 

[jon abbey]

I always thought the US kids were at a disadvantage when they played in the Championship

 
Funny, I always thought the opposite. 12 year old kids flying to a foreign country with the US always hosting, and then the US winner is always guaranteed to be in the title game, even if they're clearly inferior to two or three of the teams from other countries.

 

[SoxJox]

If you move the fences back you'll have ground balls directly at outfielders that are doubles. Those kids don't have athleticism to cover large ground and throw the ball in to get runners moving 60 feet. I'm not sure what's going on with the bats. But those fences in Williamsport measure 210 on Google Earth. Clearing the bushes is 240. Lots of bombs were up the hill.

Edit: making similar points as Mike. On phone, didn't read it all. My bad.

It would be interesting to know how many of these teams play many (most/all?) of their regular season games on fields that have no fences at all.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I'm guessing its regional to some degree. I never played on an unfenced field at that age. My kids haven't either. So that takes care of a small pocket of WV and SC. I've never seen an unfenced field down here. 
 
I know when visiting relatives in Attleboro a few years ago, the kids were playing games at that age on an unfenced field. Not sure if it was official LL or not. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I grew up in Bedford, MA, and we only had one LL field in the town at the time that had a fence.  It was also the only field that had lights, so we rarely ever got to use it at the 12 year old level.  Most of the towns we played regularly didn't have fences either.  On the flip side, the town next door, Burlington, had a fence, and we used to love playing there as kids because of the chance to hit one out and trot around the bases.  No idea if it's still the case or not, but I really don't think it's a regional thing, just how it is.  One of our fields had a hill that dropped off after about 200 feet or so, and if you hit it over the crest of the hill, and the umpire lost sight of the ball, it was a home run even though it was just a gradual decline down to a soccer field or another baseball field.  That was the closest thing we had to a non-inside the park home run growing up.  Even our high school field only had a fence in left field.  The center and right fields just led into little league diamonds coming in the other direction.