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In this Sept. 21, 2019 photo, Sapporo Dome where the baseball matches will be held in Sapporo, ... More Japan. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Perfect Game had long considered holding an international tournament for baseball players 15 and under.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. That caused Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, to put those plans on hold.
However, the Perfect Game Pacific Baseball Championship will finally come to fruition this summer. The eight-nation tournament will be held from Aug. 8-11 in Hokkaido, Japan.
The United States will be part of a field that includes Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, South Korea and one team to be announced.
Pool play will be held at Chitose Baseball Stadium then the Sapporo Dome will be the venue for the semifinals and championship game. The Sapporo Dome is the home of the Nippon Ham Fights of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team that Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani played for before coming to the major leagues in 2018.
The tournament “represents and exciting new chapter for youth baseball, providing young athletes from diverse countries with a platform to compete at the highest level while gaining invaluable international experience,” Perfect Game chief executive officer Rob Ponger said. “We look forward to witnessing the talent and passion of these rising stars.”
Dustin Shindo, Perfect Game’s liaison in the Pacific Rim, hopes the event will become the equivalent of the Little League World Series for players 15 and under. The LLWS involves players 12 and under and has been held since 1947 in South Williamsport, Pa.
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