Little League World Series cancelled
Earlier in the week, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that they would have to cancel their annual induction ceremony as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, the baseball world suffered another blow as the 2020 Little League World Series was officially cancelled.
The news was announced by Little League President Stephen Keener in a Facebook Live broadcast from the league headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“Let me tell the folks in all those communities and all the sites where we have regional qualifying tournaments how disappointed we are to have to do this, but it was inevitable,” Keener said. “It would be irresponsible and impossible to bring teams and thousands of people from all over the world into the community of Williamsport as well as those six other communities that have been such great friends and supporters of ours over the years.”
The Little League World Series began in 1947 and has been held every year since, making this the first time in history that organizers have been forced to cancel. They have also pushed back their 75th anniversary celebration that was scheduled to take place next year. It will now take place in 2022 as a result.
While many both teams and fans will be disappointed that the annual classic will not be taking place this year, the decision was made in the best interest of the public. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred made that fact abundantly clear in a statement.
“While the cancellation of the 2020 Little League World Series is extremely disappointing, the health and safety of all of the people involved must be the paramount consideration. We look forward to our return to Williamsport for the 2021 MLB Little League Classic,” Manfred said.
This year’s event was also set to feature a regular-season MLB game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. The Sunday night showdown was scheduled to take place on August 23rd, but both the Little League and MLBPA declared they are committed to playing the game next year.
Games have been halted since March due to the outbreak, with the MLB yet to start their 2020 season. There has been talks about a re-opening plan that would include playing games in hub cities and realignment of divisions, but nothing firm has been put in place or announced yet. Much like the rest of the world, professional sports is waiting on governments to ease restrictions in order to get back to business as usual.
While the Little League World Series is the most high-profile event, it was not the only one that was cancelled today. Other cancelled events include the World Series of Little League Softball; Junior League Baseball; Junior League Softball; Senior League Baseball and Senior League Softball.
Last year’s Little League World Series were from River Ridge, Louisiana, giving the state their first ever championship. They had become the second team in the tournament’s history to win after losing their first game of play. Taiwan remain the most successful international country in Little League World Series history thanks to their dominance in the 70s. They have not won the competition since 1996 though.
