Mexicali Team Will Meet Seoul Today for Little League World Series Title

The Little League World Series final today, the first ever played without a U.S. team, will match a highly productive club from Seoul, South Korea, against a confident one from Mexicali, Mexico.

Though the Koreans have scored 29 runs in two games, the Mexican manager said he has a pitcher who can stop them.

“It’s a very good team, and it will be difficult, but we have what it takes to beat them,” said Jesus Limon, manager of the team from Mexicali, a border city that won the West regional of the U.S. tournament.

Limon said his hopes ride on high-kicking, hard-throwing right-hander Ricardo Ponce, who pitched a four-hitter in a 6-3 victory over Staten Island, N.Y., Tuesday. Mexicali then defeated Morristown, Tenn., Thursday, 2-1. “He’s a natural pitcher. He can stop them,” said Limon, who downplayed the unprecedented all-foreign title game. “We represent Mexicali.”

Neither Maracaibo, Venezuela, or Binbrook, Canada, came close to stopping the team from Seoul, which pounded out 13-2 and 16-0 victories, respectively. Seoul--a different squad from the Seoul team that won the Series last year--averaged nine runs a game in the Far East region before edging Taiwan, 2-1, to reach Williamsport.

Fourteen of the past 18 champions have come from Asia. Mexicali is the first Mexican team to reach the final since 1964, when Obispado lost to a Staten Island team, 4-0. Monterrey, Mexico, won successive titles in 1957 and 1958, the only team to do so.

Opposing Ponce will be You Yong Jung, who went four innings in the 13-2 rout of Maracaibo. He gave up two first-inning home runs but did not give up a hit or walk after that. Should he falter, ready in relief is Zin Young You, who pitched two shutout innings and belted two homers in the opener.