August 28, 2017
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) -- Tsubasa Tomii buckled down after allowing two first-inning home runs and Japan hit three homers in the fourth and won the Little League World Series title with a 12-2 victory over Lufkin, Texas, on Sunday, August 27.
The title marks the 11th time a team from Japan has won the Little League World Series, five of which have come in the last eight years. Tokyo Kitasuna, the club representing Japan this season, has won three of the last six.
A REAL CHAMP: Champ Pederson, who was born with Down Syndrome, was enshrined as a member of the 2017 Little League Hall of Excellence class before the title game. He's the first player from Little League's Challenger Division to get the honor. The Challenger Division is for youth with physical and mental challenges. Pederson threw out an honorary first pitch alongside former major leaguer Mark Teixeira and spoke to the crowd before the game.
Japan's Keitaro Miyahara (10) is greeted by teammates after hitting a solo home run off Lufkin, Texas' Chip Buchanan in the fourth inning of the Little League World Series Championship baseball game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
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