Little League Teams From Connecticut Have a History of Success at World Series

The first Little League Baseball game was held in Williamsport, PA, on June 6, 1939. Carl Stotz, a Williamsport resident, organized the league. Initially, there were just three local teams. Last year, there were over 200,000 teams in over 80 countries worldwide. The growth and popularity of Little League Baseball has been explosive.

Little League Baseball had its first World Series in Williamsport in 1947. Williamsport defeated Lock Haven, PA, by a score of 16-7 in one of the highest scoring finals in series history. In fact, teams from Pennsylvania dominated the first eight years of the series, with five teams from the Keystone State playing in the finals and three of them winning the title.

Connecticut more than held its own in the early years of the series. An all-star team from Bridgeport lost the 1950 final to Houston, TX, by a score of 2-1. Stamford, CT, won the 1951 series by defeating Austin, TX, by a score of 3-0. Norwalk mad it back-to-back titles for the Nutmeg State by taking a close game against Monongahela, PA, 4-3 in 1952.

Connecticut’s next appearance in the series occurred in 1963, when a team from Stratford lost a close one to Granada Hills, CA, 2-1. The 1965 Little League all-stars from Windsor Locks, CT, won 13 in a row in the single elimination tournament to bring home the championship to Connecticut. Fireballer Mike Roche defeated Stoney Creek, Ontario, 3-1 in the final game of the series. Roche had an incredible 0.53 ERA during the 13-game run, winning 7 games in a row. His counterpart on the mound, Bill Boardman, won the other 6 games with an impressive ERA of 0.78. The big blow in the game was a two-run homer to centerfield by first baseman Dale Misiek. Third baseman Steve Scheerer drove in the other run with a single to left. The Locktowners reached the championship game at Williamsport by defeating a strong team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, 5-3; they then defeated a very talented team from Waco, Texas, 1-0 to reach the finals.

Over 20,000 fans crowded into Howard J. Lamade Stadium to watch the game. The contest was part of the ABC Wide World Of Sports presentation on Saturday afternoon, August 28, 1965, on a tape delayed basis. ABC employed a brand new viewing feature for the game: a slow motion taped replay of key plays. Jim McKay and Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson announced the game.

It would be 24 years before another Connecticut team made it to the championship final: Trumbull, in 1989. Recently retired NHL star, Chris Drury, pitched a 5-hitter and drove in 2 runs as his Trumbull Little League team upset Chinese Taipei in the 1989 final game. Drury, a perennial NHL all-star and captain of the New York Rangers, was also a two-time Olympic silver medalist as well as a Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche.

Other famous professional athletes who made it to Williamsport besides Chris Drury include Jason Varitek of the Red Sox, Jason Bay of the Mets, former New England Patriot Matt Cassel, Carney Lansford of the Red Sox, Boog Powell of the Orioles, NFL quarterback Brian Sipe, NHL all-star Pierre Turgeon, and MLB slugger Gary Sheffield.

Prior to 2001, the Little League tournament at Williamsport consisted of eight teams: four from the United States (North, South, East, and West) and four international teams (Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Far East). Currently, there are eight American teams as well as eight international teams. Prior to 1967, American teams won 18 of the first 20 championship games, with Mexico City winning the other two. From 1967 to the present, teams from the Far East have dominated play, winning 25 championships within that period, with Taiwan winning 17 of those titles.

Overall, Connecticut has appeared in six Little League championsip games and has won four of them. Only California – a much larger state – has won more, having won the title seven times. Of the 13 states that have won Little League championships, Connecticut is tied for 2nd place in overall championships (4) with both Pennsylvania and New Jersey – a very impressive record for such a small state!

Notes, Sources, and Links:  

1. littleleague.org
2. In 1990, the Windsor Locks championship team of 1965 played in the only known reunion game ever played between two finalists as part of a 25-year remembrance of the championship game. Windsor Locks traveled to Stoney Creek, Ontario for the game, which was held in the stadium of the Hamilton Redbirds, then a single “A” affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Locks won the three-inning contest 5-1.     
3. Among the opponents that Windsor Locks defeated enroute to the championship were Thompsonville and both the Windsor Nationals and the Windsor Americans.