SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Japan’s players weren’t about to leave the Lamade Stadium field without some important souvenirs.
Still wearing their bright red caps and white uniforms, they leaned down on the mound to scoop up bags of dirt for what promises to be a happy flight home from a 10-day stay in central Pennsylvania.
Fitting, because the team from Tokyo relied on defense and a pair of pint-sized aces to win the Little League World Series.
Japan limited the potent bats of Waipahu, Hawaii, to four singles, and got a homer and three RBI from Konan Tomori in a 4-1 win on a sunny Sunday afternoon to end the United States’ run of five straight World Series titles.
Ryusuke Ikeda got the win after striking out five and allowing four hits over three innings, before Ichiro Ogasawara pitched the final three hitless innings, striking out three to get his third save.
They met on the mound after right fielder Teruma Nagata caught the last out out to begin celebrating.
“I was obviously very happy,” the 13-year-old Ikeda said through interpreter Brian Thompson. “The first thing I did was to run to the mound to give Ogasawara a hug.”
Tokyo’s Edogawa Minami Little League became the first international squad to take the crown since Curacao in 2004. A team from Tokyo’s Musashi-Fuchu league was the last winner from Japan, the previous year.
Cheered on by family and friends waving U.S. flags and tea leaves they’ve been carrying around for good luck, the Waipahu All-Stars put on a valiant effort on the mound and in the field. Thirteen-year-old lefty starter Cody Maltezo, who hadn’t pitched in roughly a month, held Japan to four hits over 5 2/3 innings, and Noah Shackles’ fine stop of a hard bouncer at third likely saved two runs from scoring in the third.
“They battled to the end, and that’s all I could ask of them,” Hawaii manager Brian Yoshii said. “Every kid had their moment.”
The Hawaii club comes from a league that won the series in 2008, and they became the first Little League squad to play seven games in the tournament.
TAIWAN 14, TEXAS 2, 4 inn.: Chen-Wei Chen had three hits and Wei-Chih Chen fired a four-hitter to lead Kaoshiung, Taiwan, over Pearland, Texas, in a consolation game that ended after four innings because of the 10-run rule.
Taiwan jumped on two Texas pitchers for nine runs in the first, including Hsun-Hao Shih’s two run-homer. Taiwan had the tournament’s most explosive offense, outscoring foes 62-6 over five games.
