The final pitch of the 2023 Little League World Series was a monstrous walk-off home run smashed by El Segundo third baseman Louis Lappe.
While representing the West Region against the Caribbean Region during the championship game, the 6-foot-1 rising star stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa.
Despite holding a 5-1 lead late in the game, the score was suddenly tied at 5-5 after El Segundo Little League allowed a grand slam against Curacao in the fifth inning.
Lappe, however, was exactly the player who El Segundo wanted to see at-bat for a chance to win the game. He needed just two pitches to prove why.
CALIFORNIA WINS THE #LLWS WITH A WALK-OFF HOME RUN FROM LOUIS LAPPE 😱 pic.twitter.com/5iPMjaaBWj
— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2023
This was the fifth home run of the tournament, per MLB.com, which was the most hit by any player in the 2023 Little League World Series.
Lappe enjoyed the moment with a celebratory bat flip before rounding the bases, but one of the most fascinating moments of the Little League World Series actually happened before the pitch even crossed the plate.
Right before the big hit, longtime ESPN announcer Karl Ravech mentioned on the broadcast that Curacao had not allowed a home run to any player in the tournament.
"Curaçao has not allowed a home run at the World Series." – Karl Ravech with the epic announcer jinx pic.twitter.com/9l3yoTmsCS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 27, 2023
Ravech could not have seen this coming, of course, but it was quite a jinx from the veteran play-by-play commentator.
It is rare to see such an immediate pipeline to @OldTakesExposed but Ravech managed to say something that deserved placement on the account within just a few seconds of it coming out of his mouth. Impressive!
After the home run, meanwhile, El Segundo became the first team from California to win the Little League World Series since 2011.
