Since 1947, the Little League World Series has been one of the most beloved summer traditions in America. The opportunity to see the best 12U baseball teams from around the world compete for a championship presents baseball in its truest form.

The children provide an appreciation for the sport that can sometimes be lost in professional settings. Every moment is exciting. Every hit is enormous. Every run is exhilarating. Every strikeout is monumental. That emotion has captivated audiences for decades, making big moments all the more compelling.

Whether it is a walk-off home run, a huge defensive play, or a group of kids achieving their ultimate goal, the Little League World Series has created some incredible moments over the years. Here are our picks for the five most iconic moments in LLWS history.

Most iconic Little League World Series moments

5) 1971 – Legendary Lloyd McClendon

The highest possible OPS a player can have is 5.000. That mark would mean that a player hit a home run every single time they came up to the plate. Such a feat is impossible, right? RIGHT?!

Nope. Lloyd McClendon put on a ‘Legendary’ performance at the 1971 Little League World Series, going 5-for-5 with, you guessed it, five home runs. His team would wind up losing in the championship game to Chinese Taipei.

How did Taipei do it? Simple. They didn’t let McClendon bat. They walked him every time he came to the plate after he hit a home run against them in the first inning. McClendon’s team would not score another run for the rest of the game.

4) 2014 – Mo’ne Davis dominates

Mo’ne Davis’s legend is well-known. She wasn’t the first girl to compete in the Little League World Series, but she was arguably the most dominant, corralling a complete game shutout win during her team’s first game of the tournament. To this day, that remains the only time a female player has earned a win on the mound at the Little League World Series, and it was a shutout.

Davis did not do as well in her next pitching performance, but her mark on the tournament had already been left. Despite her team failing to reach the U.S. Championship, many fans still know her name and were excited to see her return to Williamsport in 2021 as an analyst.

3) 2023 – Louis Lappe’s walk-off home run

What’s better than leading the LLWS tournament in both home runs and RBIs? How about winning the tournament with a walk-off home run?

Lappe did absolutely everything for his California squad during the 2023 tournament, especially in the role of hero. It couldn’t have been more dramatic. California was leading Curacao in the championship game, 5-1 after four innings. In the fifth, Curacao hit a grand slam to tie the game. Lo and behold, Lappe led off the sixth inning.

Fans leaned forward in their seats. Everyone was dead quiet when the announcer uttered a jinx for the ages, noting that Curacao had not surrendered a home run for the entirety of the Little League World Series. On cue, Lappe sent everyone home with a moonshot to left field.

2) 2007 – Dalton Carriker’s walk-off winner

The Japan-U.S. rivalry is well-known in Little League Baseball. Since 1998, the U.S. and Japan have combined for more than 20 titles. The rest of the world has just three.

In 2007, that rivalry came to a head as Georgia looked for their second consecutive LLWS title, and second consecutive championship game win over Japan. Despite strong pitching performances from both sides, Georgia’s Dalton Carriker was able to take an eighth-inning pitch deep to walk off the game and the tournament.

1) 1993 – Sean Burroughs throws back-to-back no-hitters

Although Burroughs’ and his California team’s loss in the 1992 championship was eventually flipped on its head once it was known that the team from the Philippines that won had violated age and residency rules, Burroughs returned for the 1993 Little League World Series looking to avenge the defeat. He was on a mission, and no one was going to stop him.

Burroughs would go on to throw no-hitters in both his team’s pool play opener against Ohio on August 23 and in the U.S. Championship game on August 26. He did not pitch in the LLWS title game, but his team came through nonetheless. Burroughs would go on to play in the majors between 2002 and 2012.

When does the 2025 Little League World Series begin?

This year’s tournament begins Wednesday, August 13 and runs until Sunday, August 24. Games can be viewed on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, or streamed with ESPN+.

Stream the 2025 Little League World Series with an ESPN+ subscription

Pete Alonso now stands alone in New York Mets history.

The ‘Polar Bear’ launched his 253rd career home run on Tuesday night to break the tie he was in with Darryl Strawberry for most homers in Mets history. Alonso, the 30-year-old first baseman in his seventh season, accomplished the feat in his 965th game with the Mets. Strawberry played 1,109 games with the Mets over eight seasons.

Alonso’s record-breaking blast came off the Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider in the bottom of the third inning Tuesday night, Aug. 12. The homer gave the Mets, who currently hold the last wild-card spot in the National League, a 5-1 lead.

For good measure, Alonso added a second homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, Tuesday marked Alonso’s 25th multi-home run game — also a Mets record.

The Mets went on to win 13-5. Alonso went 3-for-5, with three runs and three RBIs.

Watch: Pete Alonso breaks Mets home run record

Mets home run leaders

Pete Alonso*, 254 homers
Darryl Strawberry, 252
David Wright, 242
Mike Piazza, 220
Howard Johnson, 192
Dave Kingman, 154
Carlos Beltran, 149
Michael Conforto, 132
Franciso Lindor*, 131
Brandon Nimmo*, 130

Asterisk denotes players are currently on Mets

Pete Alonso postgame interview

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Travis Kelce says Taylor Swift is a big football fan now, understanding game intricacies.
Kelce enjoys being Swift’s plus-one at her events, just as she is at his games.
Swift announced her new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on Kelce’s podcast, ‘New Heights.’

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end declared this in a new GQ cover story released Tuesday ahead of the start to the 2025 NFL season. Swift, of course, has frequently been spotted at Kelce’s games, particularly at Arrowhead Stadium, since the two stars began dating two years ago.

And it appears she’s successfully been learning the intricacies of the sport thanks to her boyfriend.

‘I sort of made her a football fan,’ Kelce said in the interview. ‘She is the most engulfed fan now. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short – all these things because she just naturally loves to hear about my job.’

Kelce spoke on a number of topics with GQ, but the latest comments on his relationship with Swift drew crossover attention. The two have been a pop culture fascination the past two seasons, with Swift’s appearances at Chiefs games to watch Kelce and Kelce’s appearances at Swift’s concerts chronicled worldwide.

Swift grew up in West Reading, Pennsylvania as a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and her song ‘Gold Rush’ even includes a lyric alluding to her fandom. But those days are over. Kelce expressed satisfaction with their dynamic when supporting one another, and the reality that her celebrity overshadows his.

‘I get to be the plus-one,’ Kelce said. ‘I get to go and be that fan. Because I am a fan. I’m a fan of music. I’m a fan of art. And it’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus-one for me on the football field. … I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.’

Kelce did not talk about retirement from football in specific terms, but reiterated he’s interested in remaining involved with the game once his career is over while also exploring a potential move into acting or entertainment. He recently had a cameo role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ and served as the host of ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity’ on Amazon Prime. He also co-hosts the popular ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center and current ESPN NFL analyst Jason Kelce, which is reportedly worth $100 million after being licensed by Wonderly last year.

Swift announced her new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ during a clip released on social media ahead of an upcoming appearance on ‘New Heights’ on Wednesday night. It means Kelce has officially gone from coaching Swift up on football to collaborating with her on PR rollouts.

For football’s most famous couple, it’s yet another sign of a healthy relationship.

‘When you see me hanging out at the US Open with Taylor, it may look like the two of us are partying,’ Kelce told GQ. ‘But I’m just enjoying the fun of being at this really cool event that I always wanted to go to with the person that I love.’

When does ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ drop?

In a teaser social media video, Taylor Swift appeared with Travis Kelce on his podcast, ‘New Heights,’ which he co-hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce. During the episode, she revealed a mint green briefcase featuring her initials and announced that it contained her new album. On Swift’s official website, there is a countdown leading to 12:12 a.m. ET, where fans can preorder ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ on vinyl, cassette, or CD, complete with a poster.

No additional information has been disclosed yet, including the album cover image. Fans will have to wait until the ‘New Heights’ podcast releases on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. ET for more details.

North Carolina football made quite the splash with the hiring of Bill Belichick in December 2024, giving the six-time Super Bowl winner his first college football head coaching opportunity, past the age of 70.

Now, with a little less than three weeks before the start of the Tar Heels’ season, it remains to be seen what to expect from the Belichick-led Tar Heels this year.

One person, however, at least has an idea of what UNC football players can expect from the first-year college football coach. Tom Brady, Belichick’s quarterback from 2000-19 with the New England Patriots, believes the Tar Heels can expect to be run like an NFL-style program.

‘What they are going to get is obviously the most prepared, the most hardworking coach that I’d ever been around,’ said Brady, appearing on Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt’s podcast on Monday, Aug. 11. ‘If you go to that school, you will be prepared to play at the next level. He’s going to teach you the right fundamentals and the right techniques. He’s going to have a high expectation for you and you are going to grow.’

It’s well documented how Brady, now an NFL broadcaster for Fox and limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders, developed from a sixth-round pick into one of the greatest NFL players ever under Belichick during their 20 seasons together in New England.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion (he won one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020) also shared some of his thoughts on what challenges his former coach could experience in the college ranks.

‘I think the challenge for him is he’s dealing with a lot of underdeveloped players because he’s dealt with guys that are four, five, six years further along than what he’s normally had to deal with,’ Brady said. ‘So I think there’s probably a learning curve for him. …’

Brady also mentioned the amount of time Belichick will have with his players between games to go through film and work on their skills, considering they have to balance their workload as student-athletes.

‘What makes Coach Belichick so unbelievable, tactically, (is how) he can break down an opponent. He watches so much film. He’s so smart in how he approaches defensive schemes and offensive schemes,’ Brady said. ‘How much can these young kids retain (that)?

‘That may be an interesting challenge, as well, because in some ways they’re not professionals. They don’t have as much time as we had as professional athletes to go in there and study film and practice and meet. They don’t have that amount of time at the college level.’

Here’s a look at Brady’s appearance on Klatt’s podcast:

The ACC preseason poll picked UNC to finish eighth among the 17 ACC teams under Belichick this season. Moreover, the Tar Heels were neither ranked nor received votes in either of the US LBM Coaches Poll or AP Top 25’s preseason rankings.

UNC is set to open the Belichick era on Monday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. ET against TCU at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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The past Venmo transactions suggesting that Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer had gambled on college football games were instead “inside jokes between me and my friends,” Mateer said on social media Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Earlier on Tuesday, multiple reports cited screengrabs in linking Mateer to three-year-old reimbursements on Venmo that contained descriptions labeled “sports gambling.” One screengrab included a note that the Venmo payment was related to a matchup between Southern California and UCLA.

“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer said in a statement posted on X.

“My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in questions but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends. I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise.

“I can assure my teammates, coaches and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in sports gambling.”

Oklahoma also released a statement regarding the matter:

‘OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern. OU athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending.’

The NCAA has had a longstanding ban against student-athletes gambling on sports. According to the governing body, students, coaches and other staff members “are not allowed to bet or provide any useful information that can influence a bet in any sport the NCAA sponsors at any level.”

That ban could soften somewhat with a proposal this June by the Division I Council that would allow for gambling on professional sports. If adopted, NCAA enforcement efforts would focus “on college sports betting and behaviors that directly impact game integrity.”

At the time of these transactions in 2022, Mateer was a true freshman at Washington State who played in one game and compiled 80 yards of total offense and one touchdown. After spending the 2023 season in backup role, Mateer was a breakout star last year, finishing with roughly 4,000 yards of offense and 44 combined touchdowns.

He joined Oklahoma this past offseason along with former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who was hired for the same position.

On the heels of a disappointing 6-7 finish in the program’s SEC debut, Mateer’s arrival is one reason why the Sooners are expected to rebound and contend for an at-large College Football Playoff berth. Oklahoma opens the year just outside the US LBM Coaches Poll as the first team among those also receiving votes.

Travis Kelce’s statistics the past two seasons show a decline in receiving yards and TDs compared to his career averages.
Kelce has returned to training with a former coach and expressed renewed dedication to his football career.
His primary goal for the upcoming season is to win the Super Bowl.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end went from being a football star to a crossover pop culture star when he began dating Taylor Swift two years ago and that attention came with opportunities to expand his horizons. Nearing the end of his football career, Kelce had his eye on some other projects in Hollywood and the entertainment world.

But those off-field endeavors came with distraction and a price on the football field the past two seasons, Kelce admitted recently.

‘I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture in a new world of acting and being an entertainer,’ Kelce said in an interview with GQ for a cover story released Tuesday. ‘I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.’

‘I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys,’ he added.

The GQ cover story details that Kelce returned to working out with Fort Lauderdale–based speed-and-agility coach Tony Villani this offseason to help prepare for this season. The two hadn’t been together in recent years after Kelce moved his offseason base to the Los Angeles area.

Kelce recently had a cameo role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ and served as the host of ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity’ on Amazon Prime. He also co-hosts the popular ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center and current ESPN NFL analyst Jason Kelce, which is reportedly worth $100 million after being licensed by Wonderly last year.

Travis Kelce has the most postseason receptions in NFL history and he’s one of just three tight ends in league history with more than 1,000 career receptions. He trails only Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten in career receiving yards among tight ends. Kelce has one season remaining on his contract with the Chiefs, and made his intentions this year clear after falling short in the Super Bowl last season.

‘Win a Super Bowl is the only goal,’ Kelce said. ‘It’s the only goal. It’s every goal.’

The New York Jets will have to navigate the rest of the preseason without their backup quarterback, but the team is holding out hope that it will be at full strength behind center by Week 1.

‘He’s still going through his protocols as far as his rehab, so we’ll see exactly where he is in the next couple weeks,’ Glenn said.

Taylor, 36, is expected to provide a veteran presence behind Justin Fields, whom the team signed to a two-year, $40 million contract in March.

As Aaron Rodgers’ backup in 2024, the 14-year veteran appeared in two games and completed 17 of 22 passing attempts for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

Fields, who completed three of four passes for 34 yards and ran for a touchdown in last week’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, said earlier in the month he hoped he would play alongside the first-string offense in each preseason contest.

The Jets open the season on Sept. 7 against Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jets QB depth chart

With Taylor out, undrafted rookie Brady Cook and 2024 United Football League MVP Adrian Martinez could be in line for extensive work in the remaining two preseason games, with the next tilt coming Saturday against the New York Giants.

Here’s the way the Jets QBs are listed:

Justin Fields
Tyrod Taylor (Injured)
Adrian Martinez
Brady Cook