1957 Little League World Series

The 1957 Little League World Series took place during August 21 through 23 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.[1] Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico,[2] defeated Northern La Mesa Little League of La Mesa, California, in the championship game of the 11th Little League World Series. Ángel Macías threw the first and, to date, only perfect game in an LLWS championship.[3]

1957 Little League World Series
Dates	August 21–August 23
Teams participating	4
Champion	Industrial Little League Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Runner-up	Northern La Mesa Little League La Mesa, California
Little League World Series

This was the first LLWS to invite teams from qualifying regions: North, South, East, and West. Monterrey, representing the South region, became the first team from outside the United States or Canada to participate in a LLWS, and the first non-U.S. team to win a championship.

Industrial Little League of Monterrey

In early July 1957, the team from Monterrey crossed the U.S. border to compete in an area tournament in McAllen, Texas. The team were issued three-day passes by the U.S. consul office in Monterrey; the plan was to play for one day and sightsee for two more.[4] Two months later, the team returned to Monterrey. Their money had run out after three days, and phone calls to Washington were needed to allow the team to extend their stay in the U.S. until they were eliminated. They never were. Led by ambidextrous pitcher Ángel Macías, the legendary Monterrey team won six tournaments, including the South Region tournament and the Little League World Series. The team was called Los pequeños gigantes ("The little giants"). Two movies are based on their story: a Mexican production, Los Pequeños Gigantes (1960),[5] and The Perfect Game (2009).[6] Episode 296[7] of the Futility Closet podcast covers the team and their Little League World Series championship.

Teams

Teams
Escanaba, Michigan North Region Jaycee Little League	Bridgeport, Connecticut East Region North End Little League
La Mesa, California West Region Northern La Mesa Little League	Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico South Region Industrial Little League

Championship bracket

California's first game was played a day later than planned, due to illness within the team, resulting in the third-place game also being delayed a day.[1]

	Semi-finals				Final
	August 22
	California	7
					August 23
	Michigan	1
					California	0
	August 21
					Mexico	4
	Mexico	2
	Connecticut	1
					Third place
					August 23
					Michigan	3
					Connecticut	4

1957 Little League World Series Champions
Industrial Little League Monterrey, Nuevo León

References

1. "Little League World Series Opens With Big-time Pomp". Simpson's Leader-Times. Kittanning, Pennsylvania. UP. August 21, 1957. p. 13. Retrieved August 22, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
2. See: Mexico in the Little League World Series.
3. Morrison, Jim (April 5, 2010). "The Little League World Series' Only Perfect Game". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
4. "Southern Region Champions in the 1950s". Unpage.org. March 6, 2003.
5. "Los pequeños gigantes". IMDb. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
6. "The Perfect Game". IMDb. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
7. "Podcast Episode 296: The Little Giants". Futility Closet. Greg and Sharon Ross. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

External links

• 1957 Little League World Series
• Line scores for the 1957 LLWS