Japan wins 2017 Little League World Series

4th title in 6 years for Tokyo

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.

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).