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2002 Little League World Series
Children's baseball tournament
Children's baseball tournament
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Little_League_World_Series_official_logo_2002.gif |
| dates | August 16–August 25 |
| num_teams | 16 |
| champion_other | Valley Sports American Little League |
| USAKentucky Louisville, Kentucky | |
| second_other | Sendai Higashi Little League |
| JPN Sendai, Miyagi, Japan | |
| prevseason | |
| nextseason |
USAKentucky Louisville, Kentucky JPN Sendai, Miyagi, Japan The 2002 Little League World Series took place between August 16 and August 25 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Valley Sports American Little League of Pleasure Ridge Park, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, defeated Sendai Higashi Little League of Sendai, Japan, in the championship game of the 56th Little League World Series (LLWS).
Notable players included 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon, a member of the Clemmons, North Carolina, Little League representing the Southeast region. Current hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate, Hartford Yard Goats, Zach Osborne was the tournament MVP for the U.S. and World Champion Valley Sports American Little League.
At the beginning of the 2002 tournament the Little League organization retired uniform number 11 for all teams playing in the LLWS from that year forward in honour of Fire Department of New York firefighter Michael Cammarata, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks, who had worn that number during the 1991 LLWS.
Qualification
Main article: 2002 Little League World Series qualification
Between five and twelve teams take part in 16 regional qualification tournaments, which vary in format depending on region. In the United States, the qualification tournaments are in the same format as the Little League World Series itself: a round-robin tournament followed by an elimination round to determine the regional champion.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Fort Worth, Texas | |||
| Southwest | |||
| Westside Little League | New York Manhattan, New York | ||
| Mid-Atlantic | |||
| Harlem Little League | VEN Valencia, Venezuela | ||
| Latin America | |||
| Los Leones Little League | JPN Sendai, Miyagi, Japan | ||
| Asia | |||
| Sendai Hagashi Little League | |||
| Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts | |||
| New England | |||
| Jesse Burkett Little League | Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky | ||
| Great Lakes | |||
| Valley Sports American Little League | CANSaskatchewan Regina, Saskatchewan | ||
| Canada | |||
| North Regina Little League | CuraçaoANT Willemstad, Curaçao | ||
| Caribbean | |||
| Pariba Little League | |||
| Missouri Webb City, Missouri | |||
| Midwest | |||
| Webb City Little League | California Aptos, California | ||
| West | |||
| Aptos Little League | GUM Hagåtña, Guam | ||
| Pacific | |||
| Central Little League | MEX Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico | ||
| Mexico | |||
| Country de Monterrey Little League | |||
| Hawaii Waipio, Hawaii | |||
| Northwest | |||
| Waipio Little League | North Carolina Clemmons, North Carolina | ||
| Southeast | |||
| Southwest Forsyth Little League | KSA Dhahran, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Transatlantic | |||
| Arabian-American Little League | RUS Moscow, Russia | ||
| Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) | |||
| Khovrino Little League |
- Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
Pool play
The top two teams in each pool move on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 25 to play for the Little League world championship.
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| **Southwest** | 2–1 |
| **New England** | 2–1 |
| **Northwest** | 2–1 |
| **Midwest** | 0–3 |
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| **Great Lakes** | 3–0 |
| **Mid-Atlantic** | 2–1 |
| **West** | 1–2 |
| **Southeast** | 0–3 |
August 16
| Midwest | 0–1 | **Southwest** |
|---|
August 17
| **New England** | 2–1 | Midwest |
|---|
August 18
| **Great Lakes** | 2–0 | Mid-Atlantic |
|---|
August 19
| Midwest | 1–2 | **Northwest** |
|---|
August 20
| Southeast | 2–4 | **Great Lakes** |
|---|
International
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| **Latin America** | 2–1 |
| **Pacific** | 2–1 |
| **Transatlantic** | 2–1 |
| **Canada** | 0–3 |
| Region | Record |
|---|---|
| **Asia** | 3–0 |
| **Caribbean** | 2–1 |
| **Mexico** | 1–2 |
| **EMEA** | 0–3 |
August 16
| **Transatlantic** | 3–2 | Canada |
|---|
August 17
| EMEA | 0–7 | **Asia** |
|---|
August 18
| **Mexico** | 4–3 | EMEA |
|---|
August 19
| Canada | 3–9 | **Latin America** |
|---|
August 20
| **Transatlantic** | 6–5 | Latin America |
|---|
Elimination rounds
|August 21 - Lamade (Game ended by mercy rule)|JPN Sendai, Japan |10 |GUM Hagåtña, Guam |0 |August 22 - Lamade |VEN Valencia, Venezuela |0 |CuraçaoANT Willemstad, Curaçao |3 |August 21 - Lamade (11 innings)|Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky |2 |Texas Fort Worth, Texas |1 |August 22 - Lamade|Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts |5 |New York New York, New York|2 |August 24 - Lamade|JPN Sendai, Japan|4|CuraçaoANT Willemstad, Curaçao |1 |August 24 - Lamade|Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky |4|Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts |0 |August 25 - Lamade|JPN Sendai, Japan |0|USAKentucky Louisville, Kentucky|1 |August 25 - Volunteer|USAMassachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts |1|CuraçaoANT Willemstad, Curaçao|9
| 2002 Little League World Series Champions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg | 100px | United States]][[Image:Flag of Kentucky.svg | 100px | Kentucky]] |
| **Valley Sports American Little League** | ||||
| **Louisville, Kentucky** |
Notes
- † Game ended by "mercy rule" (at least a 10-run difference through 5 innings)
Champions path
The Louisville Valley Sports American LL went undefeated on their road to the LLWS, winning all eleven of their matches. In total record was 17–0.
| Round | Opposition | Result | Kentucky State Tournament | Great Lakes Regional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Stage | Kentucky Clay County LL | 7–1 | ||
| Group Stage | Kentucky Morehead LL | 1–0 | ||
| Group Stage | Kentucky Owensboro Southern LL | 6–4 (F/14) | ||
| Semifinals | Kentucky Richmond LL | 11–0 (F/4) | ||
| Championship | Kentucky Owensboro Southern LL | 3–0 | ||
| Group Stage | Ohio Hamilton West Side American LL | 5–0 | ||
| Group Stage | Illinois Bradley-Bourbonnais LL | 2–1 | ||
| Group Stage | Wisconsin Merrill LL | 4–1 | ||
| Group Stage | Michigan Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL | 3–1 | ||
| Semifinals | Ohio Hamilton West Side American LL | 2–1 | ||
| Great Lakes Region Championship | Indiana Brownsburg LL | 8–1 |
In popular culture
In 2024, the game and the Fort Worth team's emotional journey were dramatized in the feature film You Gotta Believe, starring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear. The film highlights the team's run in honor of a teammate's father who was terminally ill and portrays the semifinal as a pivotal moment in their path to Williamsport.
The U.S. semifinal between Valley Sports American Little League (Louisville, Kentucky) and Westside Little League (Fort Worth, Texas) lasted 11 innings, making it one of the longest games in Little League World Series history. The dramatic finish included back-to-back home runs in the top of the 11th inning, with Zach Osborne breaking the tie and teammate Aaron Alvey following with another blast. Osborne was later named MVP, while Alvey also set the tournament's strikeout record. Pitcher Josh Robinson took the mound in the bottom of the inning and recorded the final three outs to secure the victory for Valley Sports.
Notable performances
Several players from the 2002 tournament turned in performances that remain among the most memorable in Little League World Series history:
- Valley Sports pitcher Aaron Alvey recorded 44 strikeouts during the 2002 Series — the most by any player in a single Little League World Series to date. In the U.S. semifinal, he struck out 19 batters across nine no-hit innings before leaving under pitch-count rules.
- Westside starter Walker Kelly matched Alvey's dominance in the same game, pitching nine innings of no-hit baseball with 21 strikeouts, one of the highest single-game totals in Series history.
- Valley Sports shortstop/pitcher Zach Osborne was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In addition to hitting the decisive 11th-inning home run in the U.S. semifinal, he posted a 0.00 ERA over 13 innings pitched during the Series, as noted in the official record book.
References
References
- Pockrass, Bob. (August 16, 2013). "Austin Dillon used to pressure after playing in Little League World Series".
- "Yard Goats Coaching Staff to Return for 2025 Season".
- [https://www.wnep.com/article/entertainment/places/on-the-pa-road/little-league-honors-a-hero/523-fb9f3369-2655-4084-81cd-e4f3e2d716f5 "Little League Honors a Hero".] WNEP, August 21, 2017.
- "Great Lakes Region Tournament Historical Results". Unpage.com.
- "Great Lakes Region Tournament". Unpage.com.
- (2024-06-25). "Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear Lead an Inspiring Youth Baseball Team in "You Gotta Believe" Trailer".
- (2024-07-11). "You Gotta Believe, Inspiring Story of 2002 LLBWS Team from Texas, Set to Hit Theaters on August 30".
- (2024-06-25). "Sandlot star returns to baseball in "You Gotta Believe" trailer".
- (2002-08-21). "Kentucky wins out on longest pitchers' duel in LLWS history".
- (2002-08-22). "Louisville Is a 2-1 Winner". Los Angeles Times.
- (2002-08-21). "2002 LLBWS Game 26 Recap".
- "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)".
- (2002-08-21). "Kentucky wins out on longest pitchers' duel in LLWS history".
- (2002-08-21). "2002 LLBWS Game 26 Recap".
- "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)".
- (2002-08-22). "Louisville Is a 2-1 Winner". Los Angeles Times.
- "Little League Baseball World Series Records (PDF)".
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