The Junior League World Series of baseball – a spectacular weeklong international tournament for the best teams of 13- and 14-year-old baseball players from around the world – is played every year in beautiful Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan – the only place the event has ever been held.

Founded in 1981, the Junior League World Series is the older brother of the Little League World Series held annually in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the best teams of 12-year-olds. Like the Little League series, the Junior League World Series has a storied history.

The Junior League World Series began 24 years ago as a tournament for the best teams of 13-year-old players. It has blossomed to include 14-year-olds and now attracts teams from around the globe: from Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, Canada and, of course, the United States. To date, teams have come from 27 different states in the U.S., four Canadian provinces, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Guam, Poland, Venezuela, Saipan and, for the first time in 2003, Russia.

At least five current or past professional baseball players – Gary Sheffield, Jose Valentin, Derek Bell, Delino DeShields and Erubiel Durazo – played for teams in the Junior League World Series years before making it as stars in the big leagues. Some future major leaguers may be on the rosters in 2004.

The largest youth sports program

Little League is the largest youth sports program in the world. Founded in 1939, Little League was granted a federal charter on July 16, 1964, by unanimous act of the Senate and House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States. It was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. Little League is played in more than 100 countries of the world and is played by more than three million boys and girls.

In 1939, Little League was only available for players who were 12 years old and younger. In 1961, Little League was expanded to include 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds. This new division was called Senior League. In 1968, Little League again expanded to include 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds. This was called Big League.

In 1979, recognizing the significant adjustment experienced by 13-year-olds when faced with bigger field dimensions – plus the disadvantage they faced against older players – Little League created the Junior League division for 13-year-olds.

Two years later, Greg Bzura and a group of baseball enthusiasts from Taylor volunteered their community as the host site for the first Junior League World Series. At that time, the championship was called the "13-year-old World Series." The event has been staged in Taylor ever since.

Teams qualify for the Junior League World Series by winning a regional or national tournament. The first game of the World Series is usually played 21 days prior to Labor Day. The world champion is determined on the final day of the exciting week of baseball.

Games are played on World Series Field, which is custom-designed to accommodate 13- and 14-year-old ballplayers. The field is too big for 12-year-olds; too small for 15-year-olds. World Series Field is located in the southeast section of Heritage Park. The park is located on Pardee Road between Goddard and Northline roads.
 

In the beginning

In 1981, the first year of the Junior League World Series, only the four regional championship teams from the United States made the journey to Taylor. Boardman, Ohio, won the first Junior League world championship, besting teams from Richmond, Virginia; Gloucester County, New Jersey; and Bassett, California.

Since then, world championship teams have come from Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, California, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Puerto Rico joined the World Series in 1982 as the fifth regional representative and became world champion the next year. The 1983 series was called "the year of the home run" because of the record-breaking number of four-baggers. The fences were moved to 250 feet in left and right fields and 285 in center field.

In 1985, Florida became the first state to win two world championships. A team from Michigan joined the series as a seeded entry that year and would play every year through the rest of the decade. Lights were installed that year and night games debuted. Outfield fences were extended to 270 feet in left, 275 in right and 310 in center.

In 1986, Mexico joined the series for the first time. Bill DeAtley helped Maryland to the championship, though, by pitching the first no-hitter of the series.

In 1987, Jenny Hall of the Taylor Northwest Little League became the first girl to play in the event.

The thrill of victory

Thrilling championship games have become a hallmark of the Junior League World Series. The 1998 world champion was from the South Mission Viejo Little League from California, which won a dramatic final-day doubleheader against the Midway Little League from Waco, Texas. Ashton White, son of former Heisman Trophy winner Charles White, was one of the top players for California.

In 1999, two major changes took place. For the first time, the Junior League expanded to include older players: 14-year-olds. The expansion led to the first-time participation in the World Series by a team from the Far East region, Guam.

The 1999 champion was the Hermanos Cruz Little League of Arroyo, Puerto Rico, which defeated a team from Amistad y Deporte Little League in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, 1-0, in the final game of the World Series. It was the fifth time a team from Puerto Rico won the Junior League world championship, but the first title for Arroyo.

In 2000, a team from Canada made it to the finals for the first time.

Expansion and growth

Prior to 2001, only two Latin America nations – Mexico and Puerto Rico – expressed interest in competing for the Junior League title and, rather than hold a Latin America tournament, national champions from both countries were invited to Taylor. In 2001, Latin America held a regional tournament in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, which attracted eight nations: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Aruba, Panama, Curacao, Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Venezuela defeated Mexico for the Latin American regional championship.

In 2001, 14 teams competed for the European regional championship. Poland headed to Taylor as the European champ, defeating Germany in the title game. In the regional, there were two teams from Germany (an American military base and a native team) and individual teams from Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Belgium, The Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Spain.

The 2001 World Series marked the first time a team from South America played in Taylor – and Maracaibo, Venezuela, made it to the finals. That year also marked the debut for teams from Poland and Saipan.

Aiea, Hawaii, made history in 2001, becoming the first team to win back-to-back world championships in the Junior League. In 2001, Aiea defeated Venezuela, 6-5, in a thrilling, come-from-behind contest that was won in the bottom of the eighth inning. The year before, Aiea defeated Langley, British Columbia, Canada, in the finals, 2-1. Hawaiian teams have won the world title three times.

The world comes to Taylor

The year 2001 marked two other significant changes in the World Series. For the first time, the championship game was taped for broadcast on ESPN2. In addition, teams were aligned in two pools: one for the four United States teams; the other for the International teams. The pools ensured only one game taking place for the championship.

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, led to memorable opening ceremonies prior to the start of the 2002 World Series. The ceremony paid tribute to local heroes, including Taylor police officers and firefighters.

The year 2002 marked the addition of a fifth region in the United States. Due to the popularity of baseball in the southwestern section of the United States, Little League Baseball Inc. formed the Southwest Region. In Taylor, the Southwest team competed against teams from the West, South, Midwest and East regions for the USA championship and a spot in the World Series finals. Frequent series participant Lake Charles, Louisiana, was back again, but as the representative of the USA Southwest Region, instead of the usual USA South Region. The expansion caused Junior League World Series organizers to start the tournament a day earlier than usual to accommodate the addition of extra games. The 2002 World Series started on a Sunday rather than the usual Monday.

That same year, a Central American team – David, Chiriqui, Panama – played in the World Series for the first time. Panama fell short in a thrilling extra-inning finale to Cartersville, Georgia. It was the first time a team from Georgia won the world championship.

Looking good!

Just prior to the 2002 series, the area surrounding World Series Field received elaborate beautification, including brick pavers, kneewalls, wrought iron fencing with gated entries and extensive landscaping.

The beautification continued in the summer of 2003. A Memorial Garden was planted, paying tribute to World Series volunteers who had passed away: Judy Bzura, Bob Sands, Richard Anderson, Ginger Anderson, Chuck McAllister and Toby Sullivan. Opening ceremonies included a moment of silence.

The 2003 World Series had three first-time entrants: the Khovrino Little League from Moscow, Russia, as well as teams from Massachusetts and Iowa. In addition, a team from Virginia played in the World Series for the first time since 1981, the year the series started.

The nation’s worst power outage affected Michigan and the World Series. A key round-robin game could not be played under the lights and had to be moved to the following afternoon. A team from LaMirada, California, won that game and went on to win the world championship. It was the fourth time that a team from California became world champion and the eighth time a team from the USA West Region won the title. A team from Panama – Santiago, Veraguas – was runner-up for the second straight year.

The teams raved about the fireworks display that was part of the opening ceremonies.

Like the home run derby is an important part of the Major Leagues all-star game festivities, the home run derby is a fun part of Junior League World Series week. Players belt five baseballs off a tee and attempt to clear the fence of the nearby Senior League field in Heritage Park. Players from California have won the last two home run derbies.

The umpires of the series meet challenging qualifications to participate in the Junior League World Series. An umpire cannot participate until such time as he or she has previously umpired in state and regional championships. Umpires have come from 31 states, Belgium, Canada, Curacao, Germany, Guam, Mexico, The Netherlands, Puerto Rico and Turkey. All umpires are volunteers.

A team of volunteers

In fact, a team of more than 200 volunteers take on various roles to make the Junior League World Series a success. The World Series has been a family event, as Taylor residents and others in the area help chaperone players and serve as "aunts and uncles." For 19 years, local families housed visiting players. In the years since, they have stayed at the headquarters hotel. All of the volunteers do an outstanding job. They have fun, but are very serious about their responsibilities.

Sponsorships, donations and volunteer efforts pay for all costs associated with the Junior League World Series.