The kids from Kitasuna Little League in Tokyo, Japan are the 2017 Little League World Series champions, beating Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in five innings in Sunday’s title game at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Penn. on Sunday.
Japan wins 2017 Little League World Series
4th title in 6 years for Tokyo
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Texas, the United States champion, couldn’t have started the game any better. The first pitch of the game resulted in a solo home run. This was followed up two batters later with another solo dinger to give Texas an early 2-0 lead.
Japan came back in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second base, Japan hit a triple into the right field corner to tie the game. The next batter hit a bloop shot into short right center field to give Japan a 3-2 lead.
Japan added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with back-to-back solo shots. This resulted in a pitcher change for Texas. The change, however, did not slow down Japan’s offensive performance. Japan hit a two-run home run and took a 7-2 lead before Texas could get out of the inning.
A four-run fifth inning widened the lead for Japan, finishing the game in five innings thanks to the 10-run mercy rule. Japan was undefeated in their five tournament games, outscoring their opponents 39-3 in Williamsport, including a 5-0 win over Mexico on Saturday in the international championship game.
This is the fourth time in the last six years a team from Tokyo captured the Little League World Series (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017), including three teams from the Tokyo-Kitasuna Little League (2012, 2015, 2017).
See More:
