This weekend's Little League World Series final has gotten a lot of attention across the nation, thanks to 13-year-old pitching star Mo'ne Davis. Although Davis and her team won't be playing in the final--the Philadelphia Taney Dragons lost last night against the Chicago, 6-5--the Little League World Series is still an event to cheer for--and to celebrate with our "5 Things"...
1. It all started in 1947 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The winner was the hometown team: the Maynard Midgets.
2. The first team not from the United States to win the series was from Monterrey, Mexico in 1957--and it was a perfect game pitched by Angel Macias!
3. The U.S. holds the most titles at 31, the last title having been won in 2011 by the team from Huntington Beach, California. The country of Curacao holds the least titles with just one win.
4. Girls were officially allowed to play on organized Little League teams beginning in 1974--although the first girl to actually play on a team, Kathryn "Tubby" Johnston, did so in 1950. Johnston actually cut her hair off so she could pretend to be a boy in order to play.
5. Famous Little Leaguers (though not necessarily World Series players) include: Bruce Springsteen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Kevin Costner. Not bad company for pre-teens these days to keep!
Chicago and Las Vegas will play on Saturday to represent the United States in the Little League World Series final, and on the international side, Japan and South Korea will face of. The winners from each side will meet for all of the glory on Sunday.
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