News — Baseball

Brisbane North Region Little League (Queensland, Australia) was crowned as the 2022 Little League Baseball^® Australia Region Champion, earning direct entry into the 2022 Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) with a hard-fought win over Hills Little League. The 9-3 victory came after a dominant run through the Region Tournament, where Brisbane North Region LL poured in 59 runs over seven games.

After falling to Hills Little League (Sydney, Australia), 4-0, earlier in tournament pool play, Brisbane North Region LL won the rematch thanks to a strong start and stellar pitching. Hills opened up the scoring in the first inning after notching one run, but it would be their only lead of the game as Brisbane North Region answered swiftly, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Hills fought back in the top of the fifth scoring two runs, but Brisbane North Region put the game out of reach after knocking in three runs thanks to two consecutive RBI singles.

This will be the first time Brisbane North Region LL makes the trek to Williamsport, second time a team from Queensland earns the honor, and the eighth time a team from Australia will compete in the LLBWS after the country gained direct entry in 2013.

Australia’s most successful trip at the LLBWS took place in 2016, where Hills LL notched two wins by taking down squads from the Europe and Africa Region and Caribbean Region before being knocked out of the elimination bracket by the Mexico Region team.

A rapidly growing Little League country, Australia is one of the few nations with an automatic bid into all four Little League Baseball tournaments, with their most recent direct entry into the Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series starting in 2018.

With the first-round matchups of the 2022 LLBWS announced at the Chairman’s Celebration of the 28^th Little League International Congress, Brisbane North Region LL is set to square off against the winner of the Canada Region in Game 3 on Wednesday, August 17, at 5 p.m. on Volunteer Stadium.

Little League International will be celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the LLBWS this year and will celebrate the history of the iconic event throughout the summer leading up to this year’s World Series in August. More information about the 2022 Little League World Series tournaments, including full schedules and downloadable brackets, can be found at LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries.

A year that has looked like no other will have a similarly unique finish.

Major League Baseball announced its schedule for the 2020 Postseason, highlighted by the first neutral-site Fall Classic in modern history.

Not only will the Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series all be played at neutral-site locations, but the schedule for these series has been altered in terms of off-days, meaning teams will have plenty of decisions to make when it comes to pitching.

The best-of-three Wild Card Series, best-of-five Division Series and best-of-seven League Championship Series will each take place without any off-days in between games. Teams will have to decide whether to use the traditional five-man rotation, or utilize four starting pitchers, with the potential for as many as three of them pitching on short rest.

Each series will be preceded by at least one off-day, though more are possible depending on when other series are completed.

The 116th World Series is slated to start with Game 1 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Globe Life Field in Arlington. A potential Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The postseason is scheduled to commence with the top four seeds in each league hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series, which are presented by Hankook, in their regular-season home ballparks.

The inaugural Wild Card Series are set to begin in the American League on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and in the National League on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Beginning with the Division Series, all teams will shift to neutral-site locations in Southern California and Texas for the duration of the Postseason due to health, safety and competitive considerations.

All games in the AL Division Series, which are presented by Utz, will be played in San Diego and Los Angeles, while the NL Division Series, which are presented by Doosan, will take place in Arlington and Houston.

In the AL, the winner of the 1 vs. 8 matchup will face the 4 vs. 5 winner at Petco Park in San Diego, while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 matchups will square off at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Both best-of-five ALDS will be scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5 through Friday, Oct. 9.

In the NL, Arlington’s Globe Life Field will host the Division Series featuring the winners of the 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 NL Wild Card Series, while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 series will play their NLDS at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Both best-of-five NLDS will be scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 10.

San Diego will then host the AL Championship Series, which is presented by GEICO and will air exclusively on TBS, beginning Sunday, Oct. 11. A potential Game 7 would take place on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The NL Championship Series, which is presented by Camping World, will begin in Arlington on Monday, Oct. 12, with a potential Game 7 taking place on Sunday, Oct. 18. The NLCS will air exclusively on FOX or FS1.

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Due to the ongoing impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, that included the cancellation of the 2020 Little League^® World Series and Regional Tournaments, the Little League International Board of Directors will postpone the expansion of the Little League Baseball^® and Little League Softball^® World Series until 2022. The decision allows the organization, and its local programs, to fully focus on providing the best 2021 season possible for all players, families, volunteers, and fans.

“After a thorough review of our organization’s strategic initiatives as well as the ongoing uncertainty of how the Coronavirus pandemic will continue to impact the Little League program, the Little League International Board of Directors felt this was the best decision for the success of our organization and for the overall experience of each of our 6,500 local leagues,” said Hugh. E. Tanner, Little League International Board of Directors Chairman. “We look forward to the continued efforts to make the experience at all our regional and World Series tournaments exciting and memorable. The expansion of our Little League Baseball and Little League Softball World Series is one of the centerpieces of our strategic plan, and, while we’re sad to delay these plans, we are excited to welcome more communities to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Greenville, North Carolina, in 2022.”

As many local Little League programs work on returning to play following the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, the decision allows for both Little League International and its 6,500 local leagues to take the time to strategically evaluate their needs for a successful 2021 season. Little League International will continue to focus on providing the resources and guidance for families and volunteers, to help navigate local Little League seasons throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as plan for the Little League International Tournament, where so many Little Leaguers dream of playing in a regional or World Series tournament.

“Over the next year and a half, we are dedicated to providing the best guidance available, as we strategically evaluate and plan for all possible scenarios in 2021 and look forward to continuing our efforts to prepare for expansion and provide the once-in-a-lifetime experience to more children in 2022,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “With the celebration of the 75^th Little League Baseball World Series now pushed back until 2022 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it is only fitting that the decision to expand remains in coordination with that event, as we get ready to celebrate the next chapter of this iconic event.”

Originally announced in August 2019, the decision was made to expand the number of teams at the Little League Baseball World Series from 16 to 20 and Little League Softball World Series from 10 to 12 with the goal of providing more children with the opportunity to experience the benefits of the World Series, both on and off the field, as well as the overall journey through the Little League International Tournament.

Based on the postponement of the expansion, Little League International will continue to evaluate the timeline of its facility enhancements that are connected to the expansion in Williamsport. More information regarding the expansion, as it becomes available, will be communicated directly to local league officials and can be found on LittleLeague.org.

Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Little League International has made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel its World Series and Region Tournaments for first time in organization history; commits approximately $1.2 million in support to local leagues
2020 MLB Little League Classic Presented by GEICO Also Canceled; Event Will Return in 2021
After a thorough assessment of the impact the devastating COVID-19 pandemic has had on 6,500 community-based Little League® programs in 84 countries and based upon the direction of governmental and public health authorities, and in consultation with medical professionals and our Board of Directors, Little League International has made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel its seven World Series tournaments and their respective regional qualifying events.

“This is a heartbreaking decision for everyone at Little League International, but more so for those millions of Little Leaguers who have dreamt of one day playing in one of our seven World Series events,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “After exhausting all possible options, we came to the conclusion that because of the significant public health uncertainty that will still exist several months from now, and with direction from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, as well as senior public health officials and government leaders from locations where our other six World Series are held, as well as the their qualifying regional tournaments, it will not be possible to proceed with our tournaments as we’ve hosted them for nearly 75 years.”

As we assessed the feasibility of including these tournament opportunities as part of that resumption of play, a number of factors went into the decision to cancel the World Series and Regional Tournaments, including:

The inability to play qualifying tournaments in many of our U.S. and International regions, coupled with direction from federal officials regarding the complexity of international travel restrictions and immigration requirements.
An indication from teams from around the globe that they will be unable to participate or travel to these tournaments.
The testing and mitigation protocols that would need to be in place at these significant public events should an individual participating or attending an event be diagnosed with COVID-19.
The cancellation includes the 82 regional qualifying tournaments and their respective seven World Series events:

Little League Baseball – South Williamsport, Pa.
Little League Softball® – Greenville, N.C.
Intermediate (50/70) Baseball – Livermore, Calif.
Junior League Baseball – Taylor, Mich.
Junior League Softball – Kirkland, Wash.
Senior League Baseball – Easley, S.C.
Senior League Softball –Sussex County, Del.
As 2021 was originally supposed to be the playing of the 75th Little League Baseball World Series, that celebration will now take place in 2022. More information about World Series locations and future dates can be found at LittleLeague.org.

As a result of this decision, the 2020 MLB Little League Classic presented by GEICO, originally scheduled for August 23 between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, has also been canceled. Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have already committed to returning to Williamsport for the 2021 MLB Little League Classic next August.

“Delivering this news comes with a very heavy heart. We have never had to cancel our World Series tournaments, but, right now, as our world comes together, we must do everything we can to help stem the spread of this deadly virus,” said Hugh E. Tanner, Little League International Board of Directors Chairman. “While we take this pause from the World Series and Regional Tournaments this summer, we are committed to working with our volunteers and staff to continue to provide an unparalleled youth sports experience to all children and be back stronger than ever in 2021.”

To assist the local Little League programs as they continue to assess their local operations, Little League International will be crediting all chartered programs with the affiliation fees paid for their chartered teams in 2020, which totals approximately $1.2 million in support to local leagues. These funds will be credited through Little League’s Data Center and be available for local leagues to use on current balances, future affiliation and insurance fees, tournament enrollment, and other Little League-related expenses.

As each state and community will have different guidance for resuming organized youth sports, Little League International strongly encourages volunteers to confirm with their local and state health officials that it is safe to do so before resuming Little League activity after May 11. These playing opportunities could include not only regular season activities, but opportunities for local district, and, perhaps, state all-star tournament play to provide players, especially those moving up to a new age division in 2021, a tournament experience, if possible and safe.

While Little League^® programs around the world may be temporarily shut down due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Little League International is finding new ways to keep all of its players, volunteers, and fans in a positive mood with the launch of #LLPepTalk.

Brought together from celebrities and notable alumni from every aspect of the industry, the #LLPepTalk series is providing Little Leaguers^® all around the world with a sense of positivity and hope as communities work together to stop the spread and return to the ballfields. Here are some of the great #LLPepTalk videos that have already been featured:

• Former Little League Baseball^® World Series star, Todd Frazier
• Two-Time Olympic Softball Pitcher, Jennie Finch
• ESPN Broadcaster, Karl Ravech
• Former MLB All-Star, Curtis Granderson
• National Baseball Hall of Famer, Bert Blyleven
• Olympic Softball Medalist, Cat Osterman
• MLB Network Broadcaster, Harold Reynolds
• ESPN Analyst, Jessica Mendoza
• Two-Time Olympic Softball Gold Medalist, Michele Smith
• Former Little League Baseball^® World Series manager, Dave Belisle

“These are unprecedented times we are all facing due to the Coronavirus, but we want to make sure that all of our Little Leaguers, parents, and volunteers are staying positive and hopeful as we work to get back to normalcy,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “We hope these pep talks will help keep everyone focused on the bigger picture and unite us all together as we battle this global pandemic and keep the Little League experience alive at home.”

Fans, celebrities, parents, players, and volunteers are all encouraged to share their own #LLPepTalk on social media by tagging @LittleLeague on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and by using #LLPepTalk to engage in the conversation.

To check out some of the top #LLPepTalks from around the world, visit LittleLeague.org/LLPepTalk.