Little League

Little League, organized baseball and softball for boys and girls aged 5 to 18 years old, started in the United States in 1939 and now played worldwide. It is administered by Little League Baseball, Incorporated, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the program. The contributions of local sponsors help to provide standardized equipment and uniforms for Little League. Cleats, if used, must be made of rubber, and helmets are mandatory. Parents and other adults act as coaches and umpires.

There are several divisions of Little League. Children aged 5 and 6 years old play Tee Ball, in which batters hit the ball off a tee set on top of home plate.

In Little League Baseball, the best-known of the programs, boys and girls play baseball patterned after adult baseball, with some modifications. For example, the Little League diamond is two-thirds the size of that used in major league baseball, and the games are limited to six innings. Two or more games a week are normally played by any one team, and the season is about 12 games for each team. Teams are organized in leagues (consisting of 9- to 12-year-olds) of four to ten teams. There are also minor leagues, in which 7- and 8-year-olds may play. Spring tryouts and player drafts are held and regular scores and records are kept for regular season games. After local and regional play-offs, an annual world series is held in Williamsport. Only 11- and 12-year-olds may play in the world series. Foreign as well as U.S. teams compete.

The other divisions of Little League are Little League Softball, a girls-only league for 9- to 12-year-olds; Junior League Baseball, a coed transitional league for 13-year-olds; Senior League Baseball, a coed league for 13- to 15-year-olds; Senior League Softball, a girls-only league for 13- to 15-year-olds; Big League Baseball, a coed league for 16- to 18-year-olds; and Big League Softball, a girls-only league for 16- to 18-year-olds. All of these classifications have their own world series competitions and play on full-size baseball fields, except Little League Softball, which uses the Little League Baseball dimensions.

Reviewed by: Little League Baseball, Incorporated