Latest news with #LLWS
Japan Forward
6 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Baseball Banter on a Hot Summer Day
Thoughts on the Little League World Series, Ichiro Suzuki's Hall of Fame baseball career and Shohei Ohtani's power surge for the Dodgers. Tokyo's Joto Little League team will represent Japan at the 2025 Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (©LLWS) Every summer seems to get hotter, so we need coping mechanisms ― more ice cream, please. Despite the heat, one of the fun things about this time of year is baseball. The enjoyment of playing or watching it, or talking or writing about it, can make the hottest weeks of the year almost bearable. Youth baseball reaches the pinnacle of its season in August. The Little League World Series was first held in 1947, and it is held annually in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A true international event for ballplayers for many decades, dreams are realized each summer for teams that qualify to represent their city, region and country. For example, Lake Mary Little League from Lake Mary, Florida, triumphed 2-1 over a Taiwanese team in the August 2024 final. That win will be talked about for decades to come in Lake Mary. Representing Japan, Tokyo's Kitasuna Little League squad, located in the capital city's Koto Ward, has won the most LLWS titles (four, claiming the top spot in 2001, 2012, 2015 and '17). In 2022, Japan overhauled various Little League districts throughout the nation. As a result, players from the Joto neighborhood in Koto Ward, who had previously competed for Kitasuna Little League, were then assigned to a different program, the Joto Little League. This squad became officially associated with Little League International in 2022. And three years later, the Joto Little League program has recorded its first banner achievement, winning the Japan Region Championship with a 4-0 record. This includes a 15-4 rout of Yokohama Little League on Sunday, July 20. Joto Little League now awaits the start of the international extravaganza in Pennsylvania. The Little League World Series is set for August 13-24, with Joto's first match against a Europe-Africa Region foe on August 14 at Volunteer Stadium. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki lays down a bunt in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins on July 28, 2001. ( Ⓒ SANKEI) In the spring of 1999, while wrapping up my final semester at Arizona State University, I also attended several spring training games. Taking a break from classes and homework to watch baseball and write about it always seemed like a good choice to me. It was the third consecutive year that I worked as a freelance sports reporter for The Rafu Shimpo , a Japanese-English bilingual newspaper in Los Angeles, during spring training. One of the most intriguing stories of the Cactus League that March was the participation of Orix BlueWave superstar Ichiro Suzuki as a guest player for the Seattle Mariners. During spring training, he worked out with the team and participated in a pair of games. Ichiro's all-around skills were apparent to everyone. Authoritative voices spoke about the Japanese superstar's talent to anyone holding a notebook, a tape recorder, a microphone, or a camera. Mariners manager Lou Piniella was one of the widely quoted sources at Seattle's spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona. And, of course, at other nearby ballparks during Ichiro's time with the M's. Recently, looking back at my published report on Ichiro from more than 25 years ago, I was reminded that Piniella knew what he was talking about. The longtime MLB skipper was absolutely correct. Ichiro, then 25, had all the skills needed to be a successful big-league player. "He's impressed us, he's got excellent baseball skills," Mariners manager Lou Piniella told reporters in March 1999. The manager added, "He's a good hitter, an excellent hitter, actually. [And] he's a very adroit outfielder. He's got a good throwing arm [and] good fielding mechanics." Piniella then said, "He can run and steal a base. So he's got all the tools." Ichiro Suzuki won his first Gold Glove in 2001. (ⒸSANKEI) Acknowledging that it usually takes time for a player born outside the United States to adjust to living and working there, Piniella believed Ichiro would handle it fine. "It takes the Puerto Rican kids time to adjust here," Piniella said at spring training. "[And] it takes the Venezuelan kids time to adjust here. So, I'm sure that he would adjust." Ichiro played two more seasons for Orix before he signed a contract to join the Mariners in 2001. He had a remarkable first season with Seattle, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award and the AL MVP award. In doing so, he won the AL batting title (.350) and led the league in hits (242) and stolen bases (56). He thrived as the leadoff hitter for the AL West champion Mariners (116-46). And it was just the start of the North American phase of Ichiro's Hall of Fame career on two continents. He became a 10-time MLB All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a two-time batting champ. Ichiro Suzuki speaks at a news conference in Seattle on January 21, 2025. (KYODO) In January 2025, Ichiro was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. It was nearly unanimous. A total of 99.746% of Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots (all but one of the 394 that were cast) selected Ichiro for induction this year. Also in January, Ichiro was selected for induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. This is his first year of eligibility for both halls of fame. He retired in 2019 with 3,089 hits in the majors, and his combined total of 4,367 hits in MLB and NPB is the all-time record. Ichiro's overall excellence in Japan, his work ethic, and his deep love and respect for the game are admirable traits. A celebration of Ichiro's unbelievable career will be one of the star attractions of the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday, July 27 in upstate New York. Ichiro's speech at the marquee event will be an unforgettable occasion for him and for the global baseball community. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium on July 23. (Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS) Shohei Ohtani has homered in five straight games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Another reminder of his superstar status. The fan favorite's latest homer was his National League-leading 37th of the 2025 MLB season, helping the Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday, July 23. Ohtani clubbed a solo shot to center field in the first inning. He became the seventh player in Dodgers history to hit a homer in five consecutive games. The others: Roy Campanella, Shawn Green, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and current teammate Max Muncy. A familiar sight: Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after smashing a home run. (Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS) A reporter pointed out to Ohtani that his recent homers have been flying toward center field or left field. "Hmm, that's true," Ohtani said, according to NHK on Wednesday. "I don't think the direction of the ball matters much, or rather, if it goes up at a good angle, it doesn't really matter whether you pull it or let it go [in another direction]." Ohtani continued: "I'm going to try not to worry about it too much and just focus on swinging strongly at the ball I want to hit." On Tuesday, Ohtani set a record for Japanese MLB players by belting a homer in his fourth consecutive game. The reigning NL MVP hit a two-run blast in the ninth inning of a 10-7 home loss to the Twins. Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
New York Post
23-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Flip off, Little League — adults need to stop sucking the fun out of kids' sports
I hate bat flips and most forms of sports hot-doggery. At the youth level, it's even more ridiculous and unnecessary. Maybe I'm a little too Norman Dale old-school, but kids should be learning and perfecting the game's fundamentals — which do not include acting like a jackass with excessive celebrations. Sure, enjoy the ride, cheer the big moments, soak in all the goofy goodness that comes with playing alongside a group of buddies. But act like you've been there before. 5 Marco Rocco, 12, has been suspended from Little League play for a bat flip. Facebook/Liz Rocco However. Even I think it's too puritanical to eject a bat-flipping kid from play with his team on the road to the Little League World Series in Williamsport — otherwise known as 12-year-old boy heaven. Marco Rocco, a rising seventh-grader from Haddonfield, NJ, was ejected from a game July 16, during sectional play, because he flipped his bat after knocking one out of the park. The umpire reportedly cited 'a safety concern' and Little League International told the family he had broken a rule. The ejection carries with it a one-game suspension in the state tournament, which kicks off Thursday. The winner goes to the Metro Region tournament in Bristol, Conn., one stop away from Williamsport. 5 The umpire reportedly cited 'a safety concern' over Rocco's July 16 flip and Little League International told the family he had broken a rule. X / @Spicoli_____ The Rocco family has filed an emergency temporary restraining order in the Gloucester County Chancery Division court, hoping to have the suspension overturned. The judge said he'll decide right before the game tomorrow, leaving the poor kid on pins and needles. Look, we don't want time-honored tournaments to turn into some trash-talking, bat-flipping bonanza. But we also don't want hardo officials soaking up all the fun in what should be an unforgettable boyhood memory. 'My son is distraught. He said, 'I didn't know I was breaking a rule, I see bat flips all over TV during the Little League World Series,'' Joe Rocco, Marco's dad, told the Courier Post. 5 Haddonfield, NJ, Little Leaguer Marco Rocco's family is fighting to have his suspension lifted. Facebook/Liz Rocco Furthermore, Joe told The Post that officials were being 'hypocritical. They post bat-flipping on their own Twitter account.' In one such highlight posted to the Little League World Series' official X feed, retired Major Leaguer Todd Frazier — himself a 1998 LLWS Champion — called a 2022 LLWS game where he marveled over Nicaragua's Luis Garcia's post-homer celebration. 'The bat flip to go with it!' Frazier crowed. 'That is one of the highest bat flips I have ever seen.' 5 Marco Rocco with his father Joe Rocco — who has called the suspension hypocritical considering the Little League World Series has shared footage of other kids flipping their bats during past tournaments. Facebook/Liz Rocco It feels disingenuous to have such excitement be part of the festivities … and then exact a penalty on a kid mimicking the move that triggered it. The interpretation of a 'horseplay rule' is murky at best. The Little League World Series is for 12-year-olds, and this is Marco and his team's one shot at playing in it. A ballplayer like Marco — who, I'm assuming, has not been repeatedly defiant of umpires and coaches — has likely been dreaming of this summer his entire life. Missing even one game wouldn't be a lesson so much as a cruel punishment. 5 The New Jersey state Little League tournament kicks off Thursday. The winner goes to the Metro Region tournament in Bristol, Conn., one stop away from the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. (above). New York Post In this week's double elimination tournament, Haddonfield will be facing three other teams, including Holbrook, the very Little League where yours truly spent hours watching my brothers — and playing one illustrious season of T-ball before realizing I stunk. So I'll be rooting for Holbrook to advance to Bristol. But I'm also rooting for Rocco and his teammates to get a fair shot with the full power of their complete roster. Give the kid a warning and, to borrow the sentiment of Bob Watson, in 'The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training': Let him play.
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Don't fear failure: A World Series champion's keys to maximizing kids' sports potential
Seeking success in high school and college with Ryan Klesko, a former World Series champion who now helps kids reach baseball's elite amateur levels This is Part 2 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how to make our kids better players, but also how to get the most out of athletic experiences with them. Read Part I:'You're not getting scouted at 12': Youth sports tips from a LLWS hero You may remember Ryan Klesko as a solid contributor to the Atlanta Braves' run of division titles in the 1990s. But have you ever looked closer at his numbers? He was remarkably consistent, hitting .279 with a .500 slugging percentage over 1,736 games. His sustained success, he says today, was not a result of a singular approach. "Pull up hitting on TikTok and you're gonna see 50 clowns,' says Klesko, 54, who now coaches his son, Hunter, at the 16U level in the Atlanta area. 'There's a lot of good information, but there's a lot of disinformation out there. I call them clowns because these guys are trying to break down the swing, and they have all these weird drills and it worked for one guy. Listen, everybody trains a certain way. I don't train all my kids to be like Ryan Klesko.' Klesko carried a collection of physical tools and intellectual and emotional insight he collected from coaches and teammates (and from his mom, Lorene) from the time he was a kid in Southern California Today, as he directs high school-aged kids, he seeks out snippets of knowledge, whether they come from Hall of Fame teammates Jones, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, or something he finds online that might help a particular player. Everyone is different. 'I've had some bad major league hitting coaches, and they're friends of mine,' Klesko told USA TODAY Sports. 'One of the guys, very successful player, he wasn't there long. He was trying to teach everybody to hit like he hit. And that was the only way. Chipper Jones doesn't hit like Fred McGriff.' Klesko works as a special assistant to the ownership group of Perfect Game, a youth baseball and softball scouting service that runs showcases and tournaments. As he travels around his region and the country with his teams, he looks for partnerships and ways to maximize players' potential through clinics and instruction. He offered strategies for athletes and their parents: Find your comfort zone. There's not one right answer for everybody Lorene Klesko was a single mom who worked two jobs to support Ryan and his two sisters, who played softball. She had healthy, home-cooked food on the table and paid for every resource she could to ensure they were always around their favorite sports. She also caught their fastballs, including Ryan's, which reached 85 mph when he was a high school freshman. He went to 10 years of hitting and pitching lessons, where he gained counsel and watched pros stop by the small warehouse behind Anaheim Stadium where he trained. 'I think it's important for kids to get good structure,' Ryan Klesko says. 'Find someone that's had experience under somebody that's reputable. They don't have to go to hitting/pitching schools, but you gotta find someone that can help them through mechanics. Just like any other sport. If you're going to be a gymnast, you can't just go jump on the bars. You gotta have instructions, like baseball or anything else.' As a youth coach, he has learned at least a half-dozen ways to correct flaws in swings, and to approach each hitter with an open mind. 'Barry Bonds, he was thinking swing down on the ball,' Klesko says. "Mike Trout, swing down on the ball. Big Papi, swing down on the ball. Josh Donaldson, he thinks he's got to swing up on the ball. 'Well, guess what? They're all good hitters. So I'm trying to find something that associates with that kid in his customized swing to make him better.' 'Don't beat yourself up': Find confidence through failure Klesko was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round in 1989 as a pitcher. He transitioned in their system to first base and outfield. He continued to develop his hitting and rode through the minor leagues. He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1994. He hit 17 homers in 92 games. But following a strike that canceled the '94 season early and delayed the start of 1995, Klesko was batting under .200 with no home runs through the first 18 games. 'One of the pitchers had more homers than me,' he says. He heard media speculation he would be sent to the minors. 'It really hurt me. I think if the coaches came up to me and said, 'Hey, you're gonna be fine. We trusted you, don't listen to all this stuff,' it would have helped me a little bit more.' Then he got a push from a teammate, who told him to stop worrying about negativity and do what he could in his next at-bat. Klesko went 4-for-5 and began to break out of his slump. He wound up hitting .310 with 23 homers in 107 games for a World-Series-winning team. High school hitters don't have spring training like major leaguers, and they can quickly fall into early-season slumps. It happened to a few of the best players in Klesko's organization, the Braves scout team, this year. Klesko took that small step his teammate once did. 'Hey guys,' he wrote to them in a note this past spring. 'Just keep grinding. It's early. Don't beat yourself up. … Just remember your training. Go with what works for you. Stay confident that your next at-bat or your next inning pitched is gonna be great. Put in the work, trust the process, stay strong mentally and kick some butt.' 'Let me handle it': Kids can't advance when you distract them during games If you're a baseball parent, you know the anguish of a kid's slump. It can paralyze both of you. 'I have several kids that if they start the tournament really good, they're going to tear up the tournament,' Klesko says. 'Teenagers (have) so much stuff going through the head, so that's why we got our guys in the dugout trying to help them. "You've got a lot of kids, their batting practice looks great, their cage work looks great, their bullpens look great. And when that game starts, they're a mess. And that's just working on the mental part. And if they start off by making an error, they're probably gonna be horrible the whole tournament. We're trying to get past all that stuff.' Now imagine how your kid feels when they're pressing, and we shout instructions during the heat of the game. 'Parents are yelling, 'You're dipping this, you're dipping that,'' Klesko says. 'I don't want my parents yelling anything to 'em. Let me handle it. I want one positive swing thought, and then we'll work on all the mechanical stuff in the batting cage. We don't want a bunch of stuff running through their mind.' Coach Steve: Think you're helping your kid excel at sports? Think again 'Release the energy': Find power in your hitting and pitching Klesko was an equally good hitter with the San Diego Padres in his 30s. He had an .872 OPS, two points above his career average, over 828 games. He spent time revamping his swing with his mentor, former major league manager Jim LeFebvre, who helped turn Sammy Sosa, Richie Sexson and Charles Johnson into All-Stars. While we want our own style, we can look for patterns of success. "We started watching videos of all the best players, looking at swings and seeing a lot of the same consistencies in all the major league hitters,' Klesko says. 'So that's what we teach now. We teach a lot of the basics of getting in a launch position.' That is, being in the most powerful spot to be able to move your body efficiently and drive through the ball. Think of it as defending someone in basketball: Your feet are spread out, your backside is down and your legs are in a balanced position that allows you to explode at your point of aggression. 'A lot of the younger guys, when the ball's coming, they're already out of their good launch position,' Klesko says. 'All these different major leaguers, some start with their hands high, some start with their hands low. All I care about is once the pitch is coming, and when that front foot lands, they can rotate and move to the baseball in the most powerful position.' When kids are 18 or older, he says, you can teach them how to adjust with their body movements. "So Ronald Acuña has super fast hands,' Klesko says. 'And then other guys like to hit with their lower half, their core, then you start kind of fine-tuning what their specialty is. Do you have fast hands or do they need to create more power from their legs?' Find a weightlifting program, Klesko says, to move weight quickly to work your fast-twitch muscles. If you're a pitcher – and this is advice from Maddox, Smoltz and Glavine – look for training programs that value power and strength in your legs over having a whippy arm. 'The analogy is, you've got a Ferrari engine, and you've got a Toyota break system,' Klesko says. 'Something's gonna break. That's gonna be the elbow or the shoulder. You have to learn to pitch with your core and your legs, like Tim Lincecum, Nolan Ryan. They're coming down off that mound so hard, you've gotta train the muscles to be able to protect the arm after they release the ball. "You can teach the arm, but you've got to be able to release the energy.' Don't be D1 or bust: Go to a college team where you will play When you find a travel coach or a team where your kid is comfortable, Klesko says, stick with them. Don't jump to another just because you think it might be a little more competitive. Sometimes, what you get out of the experience is worth more. "Is it working for your kid?' Klesko says. "Find somebody that helps your kid get better.' A number of players from the Braves scout team have committed to Division 1 programs. However, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, college baseball coaches are leaning on older players. The average age of an NCAA baseball player is just under 22. If you aspire for college baseball, Klesko suggests to also aim for junior college, Division II or Division III, where you have a better chance to play. It's a route Tom Wisnauckas, a reader of my column from Worthington, Massachusetts, has advocated to me over the years. His daughter, Zyna, played lacrosse at Division III Smith College. 'Most parents want their kid to get a D1 athletic scholarship but there are plenty of very good academic D3 schools that give a lot of aid,' Tom Wisnaukas says. 'So academics in high school (are) pretty important. Also for the most part, D3 kids, if they choose, are not married to their sport and can take part and enjoy other experiences in college. And most coaches understand the value of academics. 'So let parents know not to poo-poo D3. Also remind them that playing a sport in college is very time consuming and students will need to get good at time management in a hurry.' Meanwhile, if players are struggling at baseball in high school and reach out through Perfect Game for advice, Klesko tries to respond to them. He wants kids, on his team and elsewhere, to have the all-inclusive sports experience he once had. 'If it wasn't for the help from the Little League coach or my high school coach, or the neighbor down the street giving my mom some money for gas to go to a tournament, we would never be able to do all that,' he says. 'I've seen that, and if it wasn't for the whole village around me, I would have never made it. So I'm trying to do that exact same thing for the kids.' Coming next: Fulfilling professional dreams while enjoying the ride as fathers and sons to try and reach them. Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons' baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here. Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Perfect Game To Host Inaugural Pacific Baseball Championship Tourney
In this Sept. 21, 2019 photo, Sapporo Dome where the baseball matches will be held in Sapporo, ... More Japan. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Perfect Game had long considered holding an international tournament for baseball players 15 and under. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. That caused Perfect Game, the world's largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, to put those plans on hold. However, the Perfect Game Pacific Baseball Championship will finally come to fruition this summer. The eight-nation tournament will be held from Aug. 8-11 in Hokkaido, Japan. The United States will be part of a field that includes Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, South Korea and one team to be announced. Pool play will be held at Chitose Baseball Stadium then the Sapporo Dome will be the venue for the semifinals and championship game. The Sapporo Dome is the home of the Nippon Ham Fights of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team that Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani played for before coming to the major leagues in 2018. The tournament 'represents and exciting new chapter for youth baseball, providing young athletes from diverse countries with a platform to compete at the highest level while gaining invaluable international experience,' Perfect Game chief executive officer Rob Ponger said. 'We look forward to witnessing the talent and passion of these rising stars.' Dustin Shindo, Perfect Game's liaison in the Pacific Rim, hopes the event will become the equivalent of the Little League World Series for players 15 and under. The LLWS involves players 12 and under and has been held since 1947 in South Williamsport, Pa. 'Obviously Little League has done a great job building up that entire event over many years,' Shindo said. 'We see that we can do something pretty similar and in doing so, the kids get a very unique experience. The same type of global experience where we get to meet players from other countries, we learn about their culture, we exchange baseball ideas, but at 15 years, which is a little older and more developed. So, I think it's going to deliver a pretty special experience.' The games will be televised nationally in Japan. They will also be broadcast in the United States on PerfectGame TV and the PGTV app. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have professional baseball leagues that include former major-league players. However, the Pacific Baseball Tournament will also include countries where the game is just beginning to gain popularity -- Indonesia and the Philippines. 'I think that is a reflection of the increase international baseball is having right now,' Shindo said. 'Outside of the Latin American countries, baseball really wasn't as big or developed. Certainly, Japan and South Korea are starting to catch up, but I think it's also spreading to other countries. 'I was actually surprised that we had Indonesia actually coming and am pretty excited about that. I think in the future we'll be able to hopefully add some other countries that you might not even expect as the event grows.
