1957 Little League World Series
Little League Baseball has been a part of American culture since Mr. Carl Stoltz created a three team league in 1939. Within seven years, there were twelve leagues. In 1949, just ten years after the first league was formed, 307 leagues had sprouted up all over the US. The creation of organized baseball teams for children aged five to eighteen was an opportunity for community cohesion, fostering sportsmanship and encouraging healthy exercise among families. Children were able to watch professional athletes on television, and strive to emulate them on their own team. The outdoor venue and ease for kids of all abilities to participate made the Little League one of the most popular sports in the country.
Professional baseball players had their own so-called World Series, so it was not surprising that by 1947 a Little League World Series was organized. It may have been called a 'World Series' in both the major and minor leagues, but only American teams participated. That is until 1951, when the very first permanent Little League outside of the US was established in British Columbia Canada. Yet it wasn't until 1957 that an international Little League team really made a mark on the Little League World Series.
In Monterrey, Mexico a group of skinny kids who had only ever heard a professional baseball game on the radio, reached the Little League World Series. While their parents may have been enchanted by seeing Roy Campanella play in their little town several years earlier, the children had never actually seen a professional baseball game. Nevertheless, their training took place in empty lots where they had worked together to clear rocks and broken glass to create a baseball diamond. The children played barefoot, using handmade gloves and ball.
Their trip to the US was hazardous, as they walked across the bridge at Reynosa, Texas and begged for rides to their motel. Despite the prospect of completing the four week series of games, they were only give a three-day pass by the consulate. When their money and pass ran out after those three days, a request went all the way to Washington for funds and a Visa extension.
Their journey through the Little League World Series rounds was swift, as they easily defeated every team they were matched up with. When the final game of the series came along, it would have been easy to assume the American team would outdo the Mexican team. After all, every American kid there outweighed the Mexican players by at least 40 pounds. They had nice new uniforms, and they were used to playing with regulation equipment. Yet the Mexican Little Leaguers had managed to play through the series successfully, while still getting used to the equipment, the field and the crowds. Now, at this final game, pitcher Angel Macias worked his magic. He pitched a perfect game, sending 18 batters all in order back to the dugout. Los Pequenos Gigantes, the little giants, beat La Mesa California 4-0 on August 23 1957.
Professional baseball players had their own so-called World Series, so it was not surprising that by 1947 a Little League World Series was organized. It may have been called a 'World Series' in both the major and minor leagues, but only American teams participated. That is until 1951, when the very first permanent Little League outside of the US was established in British Columbia Canada. Yet it wasn't until 1957 that an international Little League team really made a mark on the Little League World Series.
In Monterrey, Mexico a group of skinny kids who had only ever heard a professional baseball game on the radio, reached the Little League World Series. While their parents may have been enchanted by seeing Roy Campanella play in their little town several years earlier, the children had never actually seen a professional baseball game. Nevertheless, their training took place in empty lots where they had worked together to clear rocks and broken glass to create a baseball diamond. The children played barefoot, using handmade gloves and ball.
Their trip to the US was hazardous, as they walked across the bridge at Reynosa, Texas and begged for rides to their motel. Despite the prospect of completing the four week series of games, they were only give a three-day pass by the consulate. When their money and pass ran out after those three days, a request went all the way to Washington for funds and a Visa extension.
Their journey through the Little League World Series rounds was swift, as they easily defeated every team they were matched up with. When the final game of the series came along, it would have been easy to assume the American team would outdo the Mexican team. After all, every American kid there outweighed the Mexican players by at least 40 pounds. They had nice new uniforms, and they were used to playing with regulation equipment. Yet the Mexican Little Leaguers had managed to play through the series successfully, while still getting used to the equipment, the field and the crowds. Now, at this final game, pitcher Angel Macias worked his magic. He pitched a perfect game, sending 18 batters all in order back to the dugout. Los Pequenos Gigantes, the little giants, beat La Mesa California 4-0 on August 23 1957.
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