After an exciting run Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West has won the U.S. Championship Little League World Series, beating out Las Vegas 7-5.
Jackie Robinson West faced today with a vengeance. They were coming off a bad lost to Las Vegas last Sunday, losing the game 13-2 and today the Chicago team wasn’t about to let that happen twice. The team started off a little shaky, something that happened previously before when the two teams met. They started trailing Las Vegas 3-0 after the first inning and 5-4 in the fifth, “The Pride Of Chicago” dug deep and scored three times that gave them the US title.
And it hit home even more that these boys are winning, it gives the city of Chicago a spark of positivity that they need. Its amazing to see these boys represent a city that barely gets good media coverage. They showed the world that more has and can come out of Chicago, they all aren’t destined to violence. Jackie Robinson West is made up of an all black baseball team with the boys representing the neighborhoods of South and Southwest Sides of Chicago of Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Chatham, Morgan Park and Washington Heights. They are representing a city that has a high murder rate.
“It means a whole lot to the community and the kids. With all this violence going on, it gives them hope,” said Sabrina Johnson, who was with her 8-year-old grandson, a baseball player in a church league.
“The excitement surrounding these remarkable young people has been palpable in every neighborhood of Chicago, and their spirit, positive attitude and success on the field illustrate why they are the pride of the city,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement.
The team will now face South Korea on Sunday at 3pm for the Little League World Series Championship.