The 2002 Little League World Series took place between August 16 and August 25 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Valley Sports American Little League of Pleasure Ridge Park, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, defeated Sendai Higashi Little League of Sendai, Japan, in the championship game of the 56th Little League World Series (LLWS).
Notable players included 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon, a member of the Clemmons, North Carolina, Little League representing the Southeast region. Current hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate, Hartford Yard Goats, Zach Osborne was the tournament MVP for the U.S. and World Champion Valley Sports American Little League.
At the beginning of the 2002 tournament the Little League organization retired uniform number 11 for all teams playing in the LLWS from that year forward in honour of Fire Department of New York firefighter Michael Cammarata, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks,"Little League Honors a Hero". WNEP, August 21, 2017. who had worn that number during the 1991 LLWS.
Qualification
Between five and twelve teams take part in 16 regional qualification tournaments, which vary in format depending on region. In the United States, the qualification tournaments are in the same format as the Little League World Series itself: a round-robin tournament followed by an elimination round to determine the regional champion.
Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D Fort Worth, TexasSouthwestWestside Little League Manhattan, New YorkMid-AtlanticHarlem Little League Valencia, VenezuelaLatin AmericaLos Leones Little League Sendai, Miyagi, JapanAsiaSendai Hagashi Little League Worcester, MassachusettsNew EnglandJesse Burkett Little League Louisville, KentuckyGreat LakesValley Sports American Little League Regina, SaskatchewanCanadaNorth Regina Little League Willemstad, CuraçaoCaribbeanPariba Little League Webb City, MissouriMidwestWebb City Little League Aptos, CaliforniaWestAptos Little League Hagåtña, GuamPacificCentral Little League Monterrey, Nuevo León, MexicoMexicoCountry de Monterrey Little League Waipio, HawaiiNorthwestWaipio Little League Clemmons, North CarolinaSoutheastSouthwest Forsyth Little League Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaTransatlanticArabian-American Little League Moscow, RussiaEurope, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)Khovrino Little League Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
Pool play The top two teams in each pool move on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 25 to play for the Little League world championship.
+Pool A Region Record Southwest 2–1 New England 2–1 Northwest 2–1 Midwest 0–3
+Pool B Region Record Great Lakes 3–0 Mid-Atlantic 2–1 West 1–2 Southeast 0–3
August 16 New England2–3NorthwestMidwest0–1Southwest
August 17 West1–4Great LakesMid-Atlantic9–3SoutheastNew England2–1Midwest
August 18 Southeast8–11WestWest10–4SoutheastNorthwest0–8SouthwestGreat Lakes2–0Mid-Atlantic
August 19 New England6–0SouthwestMidwest1–2Northwest
August 20 West2–5Mid-AtlanticSoutheast2–4Great Lakes
International +Pool C Region Record Latin America 2–1 Pacific 2–1 Transatlantic 2–1 Canada 0–3
+Pool D Region Record Asia 3–0 Caribbean 2–1 Mexico 1–2 EMEA 0–3
August 16 Transatlantic3–2Canada
August 17 Pacific1–11Latin AmericaMexico1–10CaribbeanEMEA0–7Asia
August 18 Transatlantic6–9PacificMexico4–3EMEA
August 19 EMEA0–13†(4 innings)CaribbeanAsia11–0†(4 innings)MexicoCanada3–9Latin America
August 20 Asia5–0CaribbeanCanada7–12PacificTransatlantic6–5Latin America
Elimination rounds
2002 Little League World Series ChampionsValley Sports American Little LeagueLouisville, Kentucky
Notes † Game ended by "mercy rule" (at least a 10-run difference through 5 innings)
Champions path The Louisville Valley Sports American LL went undefeated on their road to the LLWS, winning all eleven of their matches. In total record was 17–0. RoundOppositionResultKentucky State TournamentGroup Stage Clay County LL 7–1Group Stage Morehead LL 1–0Group Stage Owensboro Southern LL 6–4 (F/14)Semifinals Richmond LL 11–0 (F/4)Championship Owensboro Southern LL 3–0Great Lakes RegionalGroup Stage Hamilton West Side American LL 5–0Group Stage Bradley-Bourbonnais LL2–1Group Stage Merrill LL4–1Group Stage Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL3–1Semifinals Hamilton West Side American LL2–1Great Lakes Region Championship Brownsburg LL8–1
In popular culture The U.S. semifinal between Valley Sports American Little League (Louisville, Kentucky) and Westside Little League (Fort Worth, Texas) lasted 11 innings, making it one of the longest games in Little League World Series history. The dramatic finish included back-to-back home runs in the top of the 11th inning, with Zach Osborne breaking the tie and teammate Aaron Alvey following with another blast. Osborne was later named MVP, while Alvey also set the tournament's strikeout record. Pitcher Josh Robinson took the mound in the bottom of the inning and recorded the final three outs to secure the victory for Valley Sports.
In 2024, the game and the Fort Worth team's emotional journey were dramatized in the feature film You Gotta Believe, starring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear. The film highlights the team's run in honor of a teammate's father who was terminally ill and portrays the semifinal as a pivotal moment in their path to Williamsport.
Notable performances Several players from the 2002 tournament turned in performances that remain among the most memorable in Little League World Series history:
Valley Sports pitcher Aaron Alvey recorded 44 strikeouts during the 2002 Series — the most by any player in a single Little League World Series to date. In the U.S. semifinal, he struck out 19 batters across nine no-hit innings before leaving under pitch-count rules. Westside starter Walker Kelly matched Alvey's dominance in the same game, pitching nine innings of no-hit baseball with 21 strikeouts, one of the highest single-game totals in Series history. Valley Sports shortstop/pitcher Zach Osborne was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In addition to hitting the decisive 11th-inning home run in the U.S. semifinal, he posted a 0.00 ERA over 13 innings pitched during the Series, as noted in the official record book.
References
External links 2002 official results via Wayback Machine Recap of championship game via Wayback Machine Dramatic 11th-inning walk-off home run by Zach Osborne – Valley Sports vs Westside, 2002 LLWS U.S. semifinal Official trailer for You Gotta Believe, featuring the 2002 LLWS semifinal