Japan rallies, scores 18 runs to win Little League World Series

When Yogi Berra said “it ain’t over ’til it’s over,” this is exactly what he had in mind. Japan fell into a huge hole to begin the championship game of the Little League World Series, but they never gave up.

After trailing by eight runs after the first inning, team Japan began its comeback. The club scored seven runs in the second, cutting the lead to just one.

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That wasn’t enough. The following inning, Japan plated four more runs, taking a three-run lead in the third. While Mid-Atlantic would plate another run in the bottom of the frame, they couldn’t match Japan’s bats.

Japan remained up by three until the final inning, when they added five insurance runs. Mid-Atlantic couldn’t pull off the massive comeback in the bottom of the frame, giving Japan the 18-11 victory.

With the win, the club became the 2015 Little League World Series champions.

Throughout the contest, a number of records were broken.

23 combined runs already in @LittleLeague title game (ABC) Ties record for most combined runs in title game, set in 1947 (at the 1st LLWS!)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 30, 2015

As you can see from the final score, the teams would eventually combine to score 29 total runs, setting a new record. Mid-Atlantic’s 10-run inning also set a record, as did the teams combining for 30 hits during the game. The eight-run deficit was also the largest any team had ever overcome. Amazingly, the combined seven home runs was not a record.