Taiwan takes 18th Little League title, but first since 1996

It might not have been perfect, but for Taiwan it was still pretty great.

Lin Chin-Tse retired the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one hit in five innings as Taiwan beat Nevada 7-0 in the Little League World Series championship Sunday, ending a 29-year title drought for the Taiwanese.

Taiwan won its first LLWS since 1996, although its 18 titles are the most of any country beside the United States, including five straight from 1977 to 1981.

When Chen Yi-Reng caught a fly ball in left field to end the game, Taiwan’s gloves went flying into the air as the team piled in front of the mound.

Lin, a 5-foot-8 right hander, also smashed a three-run triple in Taiwan’s five-run fifth. The 12-year-old hit more than 80 mph with his fastball multiple times during the tournament; to batters it looks more like 100 mph because the plate in this level of baseball is only 46 feet away. 

The Taiwanese gave up just three runs during their entire stay in Williamsport, all to Venezuela in a 7-3 victory.

Garrett Gallegos broke up the perfect game with a single into left field in the fifth inning but was caught in a double play. Nevada was appearing in its first championship game.

The last international team to win the tournament was Japan in 2017.



(AP Gene J. Puskar)