The Little League World Series occupies a unique place in the baseball ecosystem. Far more international than MLB but simultaneously more American than the World Baseball Classic, it represents the perfect nexus of baseball's roles at a national and international pastime.
Of course, there is also its status as the nation's most visible sporting event contested by 10- to 12-year-olds. Because of its participants' young ages, it retains a veneer of innocence—a reminder that baseball is, at its heart, a child's game.
With 20 locales from around the world set to participate in the 2024 event beginning Wednesday, let's get to know the cities whose youth will convene this year in Williamsport, Pa.
GREAT LAKES REGION
CITY: Hinsdale
STATE: Illinois
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: An upscale western suburb of Chicago with a historic character.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Well-traveled former catcher Kevin Plawecki was born there, although he grew up in Indiana.
METRO REGION
CITY: Staten Island
STATE: New York
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: The unapologetic black sheep of New York's five boroughs.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Let's go with early designated hitter Terry Crowley, a three-time World Series champion as a player (1971 and 1975) and coach (1991).
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
CITY: Newtown
STATE: Pennsylvania
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Tiny town in the Philadelphia metro area founded by William Penn.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Newtown is still looking for its first MLB player, so podcasting magnate Alex Cooper is the choice.
MIDWEST REGION
CITY: Sioux Falls
STATE: South Dakota
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: South Dakota's largest city.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Former journeyman pitcher Terry Forster, a World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.
MOUNTAIN REGION
CITY: Henderson
STATE: Nevada
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Sprawling Las Vegas suburb founded in 1941, only six years before the Little League World Series itself.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo, which is fitting given Nevada's all-or-nothing ethos.
NEW ENGLAND REGION
CITY: Salem
STATE: New Hampshire
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: About as far south as you can get in New Hampshire without being in Massachusetts.
NOTABLE NATIVE: To the greater world of sports, Salem gave Olympic women's hockey gold medalist Katie King-Crowley (Duffy Lewis, a solid early Boston Red Sox outfielder, died in Salem).
NORTHWEST REGION
CITY: Puyallup
STATE: Washington
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Mid-sized city known as the home of the Washington State Fair.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Recently activated Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen is a Puyallup native.
SOUTHEAST REGION
CITY: Lake Mary
STATE: Florida
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Small-ish Orlando suburb granted city status in 1973.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Nashville actor Aubrey Peeples.
SOUTHWEST REGION
CITY: Boerne
STATE: Texas
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Texas Hill Country town known for its German heritage.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Matthew O. Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient.
WEST REGION
CITY: Wailuku
STATE: Hawaii
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Maui's county seat, with historic sites from before and after American colonization.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Who else but two-time All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino, the Flyin' Hawaiian himself?
ASIA-PACIFIC AND MIDDLE EAST REGION
CITY: Taoyuan
COUNTRY: Taiwan
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Massive, fast-growing, corporate-friendly metropolis of two million.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Golf fans will recognize Yani Tseng, a five-time major champion.
AUSTRALIA REGION
CITY: Sydney
COUNTRY: Australia
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: The cultural center of the land down under, and the host of the 2000 Summer Olympics.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Ex-relief pitcher Grant Balfour, who for the Oakland Athletics in 2013 became Sydney's first All-Star at 35.
CANADA REGION
CITY: Surrey
COUNTRY: Canada
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: An enormous suburb of Vancouver—British Columbia's second-largest city, in fact.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Former MLBer Adam Loewen, who went from a pitcher to a position player and back again in an eventful career (he also played in the 1996 Little League World Series).
CARIBBEAN REGION
CITY: Santa Cruz
COUNTRY: Aruba
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Picturesque town near the Dutch constituent country's massive Arikok National Park.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Former pitcher Calvin Maduro, one of six Aruba-born players in MLB history.
CUBA REGION
CITY: Santa Clara
COUNTRY: Cuba
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Large city in the central part of Cuba, and the site of the Cuban Revolution's final battle.
NOTABLE NATIVE: The late Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez.
EUROPE AND AFRICA REGION
CITY: Brno
COUNTRY: Czech Republic
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: The second-most important Czech city after Prague—a major hub for culture, education and sports.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha, one of a handful of NHL players from the city.
JAPAN REGION
CITY: Tokyo
COUNTRY: Japan
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: One of the world's largest cities, and an essential cog in the history of sports generally and baseball specifically.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Former Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, the first player to win the World Series and World Baseball Classic.
LATIN AMERICA REGION
CITY: Barquisimeto
COUNTRY: Venezuela
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: An old city even by Spanish colonial standards (founded 1552) in the northern part of Venezuela.
NOTABLE NATIVE: That would be Cleveland Guardians second baseman and glove maestro Andres Gimenez, one of two All-Stars from the city (infielder Cesar Izturis, another Gold Glover, is the other).
MEXICO REGION
CITY: Matamoros
COUNTRY: Mexico
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: About as close to the United State as you can get without being in it; it's across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas.
NOTABLE NATIVE: Pitcher Horacio Pina, a 1973 World Series champion with the Athletics, is the only MLBer from the city.
PUERTO RICO REGION
CITY: Guayama
COUNTRY: Puerto Rico
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Sports-crazy city on the southern coast of the island commonwealth.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Little League World Series Teams: Where is Every Team From?.
