Another summer has all but come and gone, meaning that one of more treasured things about summer, at least for sports fans, the Little League World Series, has come to a conclusion. The 2017 LLWS was as enjoyable as ever, as baseball’s best little leaguers from all over the globe gathered in Williamsport for the most fun 11 days of the baseball year. The tournament consisted of the 16 best Little League teams in the United States and from nations all over the world like Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and numerous more. In addition to the tournament came the introduction of a very special event called the MLB Little League Classic, which featured National League Central rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals battling in a historic and ground-breaking matchup.

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On August 20, the Pirates and Cardinals played in the inaugural MLB Little League Classic at Bowman Field in Williamsport, just up the road from Howard J. Lamade Stadium, where the LLWS was being played. Prior to the game, the players and coaches from the Bucs and Cards got to hang out with the Little Leaguers as they watched a couple of National Quarterfinal games. The kids got to meet some of their big league heros like Yadier Molina, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Harrison, or Carlos Martinez. Social media was buzzing with photos and videos of the little leaguers meeting their big league idols, like when Bucs pitcher Trevor Williams took a selfie with members of the New Jersey team or when Carlos Martinez snapped a team photo with the Dominican Republic team, where Martinez hails from. When it came to game time, one representative from each of the teams participating in the 2017 LLWS helped throw out the first pitch. The game itself was entertaining. Josh Bell was his usual self, driving in 4 runs and hitting 1 home run. Ivan Nova improved to 11-10 at the time, throwing 5.2 innings of 3 run ball. Another thing that was really neat about this game was that the players involved wore jerseys with their nicknames on the back, a new concept introduced by the MLB this year as part of Players Weekend. The more notable of these included Super Nova (Ivan Nova), Nightmare (Felipe Rivero),  Davehuman (David Freese), and MoMo (Stephen Piscotty). The night concluded with a classic ‘Good game’ handshake between each of the teams, just like the little leaguers do. The Bucs won 6-3, but the meaning behind this game is so much more than another game in a 162 game schedule. This game reminded baseball fans why baseball is a treasured and valued past time.This game reminded baseball fans why they love baseball, because it brings people together in the divisive world we live in.

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The 2017 LLWS tournament was about as entertaining as any LLWS tournament yet. On Sunday, the Tokyo Kitasuna club from Japan defeated the Lufkin, Texas club by a score of 12-2 in 5 innings to claim their 4th LLWS Title, the 11th overall for a Japanese team and the 5th in the last 8 years. This tournament also featured excellent showings from the Canadian team, North Carolina, Mexico (the third place team), New Jersey, and Connecticut. At one point, North Carolina pitching only allowed 1 run in 3 games, with a combined perfect game against South Dakota mixed in. A thriller ended in tragic defeat for the Dominican Republic as the pitcher who gave up the game-winning hit, Edward Uceta, was on the ground, in tears, before Venezuelan coaches and players consoled him. Big leaguers watched as Little Leaguers stole the show. An underdog Texas team led a comeback for the ages just to get to the semi-final and final games only to be vanquished by the Japanese. ESPN reporter Julie Foudy investigated what kind of animal Dugout the mascot is. Some cried, some (actually almost all) danced, some celebrated, some wallowed in defeat, but everyone in attendance and watching at home had the time of their lives.

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Veteran ESPN baseball analyst Karl Ravech perfectly summed up the atmosphere and emotion in the LLWS in his poem “Batter Up” when he says “You’ve heard all the cheers, dreamed the dreams, and managed most of your fears. This is serious, I mean, totally delirious… Those fields, the dirt, the grass, there must be an asterisk attached...We’re the real boys and girls of summer...You get to hold court in, of all places, Williamsport.” The emotion and atmosphere of the LLWS is virtually unmatched in the sports world, and it is truly a magical thing to see.