Sunday’s Major Little League Baseball World Series

Whew, It took 62 years for Michigan to win its second Major Little League Baseball World Series. It was 1959 and John F. Kennedy would shortly become the United States President.

Yes, it took quite some time and brought the initial championship game in 77 years matching region teams, with the rematch lining up the Great Lakes winner Michigan against runner-up Ohio, Taylor North versus Hamilton.

Ohio had never gotten this far and fell short Sunday afternoon when the Big 10 rivalry gained Michigan a friendly-type 5-2 victory, with the Ohio youngsters from Hamilton applauding the Taylor North Michigan team and combining hand shakes and fives after the final out.

It was the fifth win in six starts for the Michigan team that lost only to West Region champion Hawaii, 2-0, and then avenged that by getting past the Island kids, 4-2. Before that, it opened with an impressive 8-0 rout over Florida, then edged Texas West, 7-6, and again with a resounding 15-6 embarrassing romp, and with the rematch win over Hawaii, earned it a berth in the finals.

Ohio also got revenge, losing 9-0 to Southern California after winning its opener in a tight 1-0 tussle with Tennessee, then turned back Louisiana, 8-2, and held off a late comeback by New Hampshire in a 3-2 triumph, then bouncing back versus South California, 4-2, and moving into the title game by disposing of previously undefeated South Dakota, 5-2.

For Michigan, which had finished first in its region by defeating Ohio, 7-1, in the championship game, quickly made its way into the scoring column with three runs in the last of the first inning, and then adding another pair of insurances runs in the fifth.

Ohio was able to respond with only a second frame run and left a load of runners on base, with only one in nine advancing before Michigan got out of trouble via strikeouts, most on 3-2 pitches.

The umpires are all volunteers and both teams weren’t happy with many of the calls. The main disagreement centered on questionable balls and strikes, with even players shaking their heads, especially on 3-2 calls that didn’t appear to be in the strike zone. but became strikeouts. There were also numerous reviews on close-call throws to first base, most of which looked the opposite of the calls and were reversed.

This was the time to make sure the pitchers didn’t go past the 86-pitch limit, and so both employed five different hurlers and each time that Hamilton loaded the bases, twice in fact with no outs, the Taylor North relievers just settled down to get out of the frame, one time striking out the side to leave the bags full.

Miscues also hurt Ohio. It made a pair of errors and one came on the wild pitch in the first inning that scored a base runner. This was after Michigan began versus starter Chance Retherford with an infield single by Cameron Thorning, the son of the head coach, and the most productive batter in the tournament.

This was followed by Jack Surma’s RBI single into center-field, and then came a wild throw to first after getting a force out at second. But for Michigan, it was a good start to its 14th win in its last 15 starts. It finished with eight hits and error less play in the field.

Ohio did not give in, scoring once in the top of the sixth and leaving two on with the tying run at bat. With reliever Gavin Ulin on the hill, there were several 3-2 counts, one brought a strikeout, two brought a pair of walks, and one hit batter before Ulin turned a bouncer back to him into a double play, second base to first base, and then came the celebration.

Most of them all know each other from the region played in Indianapolis. One time a long inclement weather delay kept players, coaches and fans having a friendly time until the contest was finally postponed, but they did meet in the region final.

And after the final out, the teams joined up together in recognition that they both made it to the championship game. It resembled a mutual admiration society and the managers and their coaches just traded hugs and congratulations, and the limited attendance joined in from the stadium seats and grass hills beyond the outfield.

In the Taylor North fifth, back-to-back singles, one through the middle and the other past third base, but Thorning, who had three home runs in the World Series, popped up to the catcher. But up came Surma and he batted in a run with a base hit, and the other scoring on a passed ball before two popups to second base ended the frame.

Passed balls and wild pitches didn’t help Ohio’s cause. There were four that got past the catcher, and three were also three wild pitches. If they didn’t bring in runs, they did advance runners.

No International foreign teams, limited spectators, 16 teams all from the United States, many weather delays as the skies emptied daily, and the fans just had a fun time with most concessions opened, plus Friday when the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians played the fourth Little League Classic and the Major League players joined the youngsters with greetings, autographs, and just hours of good times.

All four teams in the semifinals lost at least once, with Hawaii and South Dakota the last to fall, but in return all the teams handled themselves with the usual Little League sportsmanship.