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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Pony League World Series
PONY Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, Pennsylvania. Started in 1951, PONY organizes youth baseball and softball leagues and tournaments, as over 500,000 players annually play PONY in over 4,000 leagues throughout the United States and over 40 countries world-wide. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world. Membership is open to children and young adults from age 4 to 23 and the leagues are organized in two-year age brackets with "and-under" programs. Hundreds of PONY players have gone on to Major League Baseball careers, including Hall of Fame inductees Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.

Origin of name

Children at the Washington, Pennsylvania, YMCA named the organization PONY, which stood for "Protect Our Neighborhood Youth." This later became "Protect Our Nation's Youth."

Levels of play

A 14-year-old Pony League pitcher

Distances shown are for baseball with players pitching; distances for other offerings (such as baseball with machine pitching, fast pitch softball, and slow pitch softball) may vary.

League Ages Distances Ref.
Bases Pitching
Foal  4 and 3 50 feet (15.24 m) 38 feet (11.58 m)
Shetland  6 and under 50 feet (15.24 m) 38 feet (11.58 m)
Pinto  8 and under 60 feet (18.29 m) 40 feet (12.19 m)
Mustang 10 and under 46 feet (14.02 m)
Bronco 12 and under 70 feet (21.34 m) 50 feet (15.24 m)
Pony 14 and under 80 feet (24.38 m) 54 feet (16.46 m)
Colt 16 and under 90 feet (27.43 m) 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m)
Palomino 19 and under
Thorobred 23 and under

Pony League World Series

Pony League World Series
SportBaseball
Founded1952; 72 years ago (1952)
Most recent
champion(s)		Taiwan New Taipei City, Taiwan
(2022)
Most titlesTaiwan Taipei, Taiwan (5)
TV partner(s)MLB.com
Sponsor(s)Dick's Sporting Goods
Official websiteplws.org

The Pony League World Series is the flagship tournament of PONY Baseball and Softball. After the creation of the organization in 1951, there were already 505 teams across 106 leagues the following year. This prompted PONY to create the Pony League World Series in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which has hosted a majority of the tournaments since the inaugural edition in 1952.

From 1964 through 1983, the tournament did not have a set location and sometimes took place in other states: California (1964–1965, 1978), Iowa (1979–1980), Illinois (1967, 1974–1975), Nebraska (1966), Texas (1977), and Washington (1983). In 1981, World Series Tournaments, Incorporated (WSTI) was put in charge of running the tournament, and every tournament since 1984 has been played in Washington County, although no team from Pennsylvania has won the tournament since 1955.

The first team from outside the United States to play in the tournament was Monterrey, Mexico, in 1959—Monterrey had won the Little League World Series in 1957 and 1958. In 1968, international slots were added to the tournament, with teams from Canada and Venezuela participating. The first participant from Puerto Rico was a team from Cataño in 1971. The first non-US champion was a team from Monterrey in 1972. A team from Japan was the first non-Americas participant, in 1986. The first non-Americas champion was a team from Seoul, South Korea, in 1988.

The format of the tournament has differed; for most years it has been double-elimination, while at least the first tournament was single-elimination, and the finals were a best of three at least twice during the 1970s. Most editions of the tournament have been contested with a field of eight teams, but field size has been as small as four and as large as 10:

Year(s) Teams
1952–1960 8
1961–1967 4
1968–1974 8
1975–1978 6
1979–1980 8
1981–1982 5
1983–2008 8
2009–2019 10
2020 —
2021 8
2022-2023 10

The tournament is currently sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods and the games are streamed on MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball. The recent finals can also be found on YouTube.

After the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition was staged with only US-based teams (including a team from Puerto Rico).

Champions

Year Winner Score Runner–Up Ref.
1952 Texas San Antonio, Texas 2–1 Massachusetts Brockton, Massachusetts
1953 West Virginia Fairmont, West Virginia 7–6 South Carolina North Charleston, South Carolina
1954 Pennsylvania Monongahela, Pennsylvania 8–2 Illinois Chicago, Illinois
1955 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania 4–0 Ohio Youngstown, Ohio
1956 Illinois Joliet, Illinois 9–1 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan
1957 Texas Lufkin, Texas 5–2 Illinois Maywood, Illinois
1958 Florida Miami, Florida 3–2 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan
1959 California Long Beach, California 8–0 Pennsylvania Greene County, Pennsylvania
1960 Illinois Oak Park - River Forest, Illinois 5–4 California West Covina, California
1961 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan 2–1 Texas San Antonio, Texas
1962 Texas Houston, Texas 4–1 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina
1963 Indiana Evansville, Indiana 3–1 California Canoga Park, California
1964 California Campbell-Moreland, California 8–2 Alabama Gadsden, Alabama
1965 California Long Beach, California 8–0 Illinois Joliet, Illinois
1966 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina 6–0 Alabama Gadsden, Alabama
1967 California Chula Vista, California 2–0 Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma
1968 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina 4–1 California Covina, California
1969 Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 8–5 California Arcadia, California
1970 California Buena Park, California 1–0 South Carolina Cayce/West Columbia/Lexington, South Carolina
1971 California Orange, California 6–5 Colorado Denver, Colorado
1972 Mexico Monterrey, Mexico 2–0, 2–3, 3–1 Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii
1973 California Santa Clara, California 4–3 Texas Fort Worth, Texas
1974 California West Covina, California 11–2 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina
1975 California Covina, California 7–3, 4–3 Illinois Wilmette, Illinois
1976 Florida Tampa, Florida 14–0 Pennsylvania Monongahela, Pennsylvania
1977 Massachusetts New Bedford, Massachusetts 5–4 Florida Lake Worth, Florida
1978 California Campbell-Moreland, California 2–0 Illinois Joliet, Illinois
1979 California Campbell-Moreland, California 10–3 Texas Houston, Texas
1980 Hawaii Maui, Hawaii 3–2 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina
1981 California West Covina, California 16–10 Florida Miami, Florida
1982 California West Covina, California 5–4 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1983 California Santa Susana, California 8–4 Texas Houston, Texas
1984 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 3–0 Florida Miami, Florida
1985 Georgia (U.S. state) Marietta, Georgia 7–0 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1986 California Valencia, Santa Clarita, California 3–2 Japan Edogawa, Japan
1987 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 9–4 Texas Houston, Texas
1988 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 15–0 California La Mesa, California
1989 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 10–0 California Encino, California
1990 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 4–2 California Lakewood, California
1991 Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico 8–2 California Fountain Valley, California
1992 Illinois Bourbonnais, Illinois 4–3 Texas Pasadena, Texas
1993 Illinois Joliet, Illinois 4–2 Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico
1994 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 6–1 Pennsylvania Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
1995 Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico 11–2 Maryland Hagerstown, Maryland
1996 Taiwan Tainan, Chinese Taipei 4–0 Indiana Evansville, Indiana
1997 California Danville, California 7–0 Ohio Hamilton, Ohio
1998 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 4–0 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1999 California Covina, California 9–1 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei
2000 Taiwan Taipei, Chinese Taipei 8–3 California West Covina, California
2001 Puerto Rico Ponce, Puerto Rico 10–4 Virginia Richmond, Virginia
2002 California Norwalk, California 10–0 Puerto Rico Levittown, Puerto Rico
2003 California Lakewood, California 4–3 Puerto Rico Humacao, Puerto Rico
2004 Georgia (U.S. state) Marietta, Georgia 3–1 Hawaii Mililani, Hawaii
2005 Taiwan Taichung, Chinese Taipei 2–1 California San Diego, California
2006 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 4–2 California Simi Valley, California
2007 Puerto Rico Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico 8–3 California Long Beach, California
2008 California Long Beach, California 3–2 Taiwan Taichung, Chinese Taipei
2009 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 12–1 California Riverside/Victoria, California
2010 Virginia Midlothian, Virginia 3–1 Japan West Tokyo, Japan
2011 Texas Laredo, Texas 10–9 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei
2012 California Long Beach, California 9–7 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei
2013 Japan Okinawa, Japan 5–4 Mexico Los Mochis, Mexico
2014 Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii 5–3 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei
2015 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei 12–1 California San Bernardino, California
2016 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei 12–2 Hawaii Maui, Hawaii
2017 California Covina, California 3–1 South Korea Seoul, South Korea
2018 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei 3–1 California Long Beach, California
2019 Taiwan Taipei City, Chinese Taipei 9–1 Michigan Bay County, Michigan
2020 Not held
2021 Texas Brownsville, Texas 11–10 Ohio Youngstown, Ohio
2022 Taiwan New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei 4–1 Mexico Monterrey, Mexico
2023 Japan Edogawa, Japan 8–2 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
Year Winner Score Runner–Up Ref.

Source:
Note: In cases of conflicting records, contemporary news reports have been given priority.

Controversy

In the 2023 Pony Asia-Pacific Zone Championships held in Fukushima, Japan, a controversial decision was made, where the Japanese officials unilaterally revoked Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)'s Pony League World Series qualification after losing to Taiwan in the championship game. The reason for disqualification was the alleged use of unapproved bats by the Taiwanese team. However, the PONY league pre-approved the bats prior to each game with stickers. There have also never been complaints from other teams prior to the championship game. In the end, despite Taiwan gathering supports from the majority of the teams, including Hong Kong (1 team) and Mainland China (3 teams) who protested against the decision to disqualify Taiwan, the complaint was overruled by Japan, Philippines and Australia, where the two decision-making officials were from Japan and Philippines.

The incident attracted widespread media attention in Taiwan due to the perceived lack of transparency and fairness. The Taoyuan City Government and Taiwan's Sports Administration immediately filed an official complaint to the PONY Baseball and Softball organization headquarters, and are waiting for a reply.

Championship totals

The 2016 championship team from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)

By U.S. state or non-U.S. country. Updated through the 2023 championship (71 playings, 142 total appearances).

State / Country Wins Losses Appearances Most recent championship
California California 22 15 37 2017
Taiwan Chinese Taipei 11 5 16 2022
Texas Texas 5 6 11 2021
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico 7 3 10 2007
Illinois Illinois 4 5 9 1993
Hawaii Hawaii 3 3 6 2014
South Korea South Korea 3 1 4 1990
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2 7 9 1955
Florida Florida 2 3 5 1976
North Carolina North Carolina 2 3 5 1968
Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia 2 0 2 2004
Michigan Michigan 1 3 4 1961
Japan Japan 2 2 4 2023
Mexico Mexico 1 2 3 1972
Indiana Indiana 1 1 2 1963
Massachusetts Massachusetts 1 1 2 1977
Virginia Virginia 1 1 2 2010
West Virginia West Virginia 1 0 1 1953
Ohio Ohio 0 3 3 —
Alabama Alabama 0 2 2 —
South Carolina South Carolina 0 2 2 —
Colorado Colorado 0 1 1 —
Maryland Maryland 0 1 1 —
Oklahoma Oklahoma 0 1 1 —
  • PONY Headquarters with Flag Plaza in view in foreground
    PONY Headquarters with Flag Plaza in view in foreground
  • PONY Headquarters dedication plaque, located on building entrance
    PONY Headquarters dedication plaque, located on building entrance
  • PONY Headquarters Main Hall / Museum
    PONY Headquarters Main Hall / Museum

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Championship teams from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, are listed in Pony League World Series records under variant names: Taipei (2000), Taipei County (2016, 2018), Taipei City (2019), and New Taipei City (2022). Taipei City is the official name of the capital city, which is commonly known as Taipei. New Taipei City and Taipei County both refer to the "special municipality" where the capital city is located.
  2. ^ Due to complicated relations with the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China—commonly known as Taiwan—is recognized by the name Chinese Taipei by a majority of international organizations, including PONY Baseball and Softball. News accounts may use Republic of China, Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei to refer to the same entity.

References

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  12. ^ "PALOMINO 19U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  13. ^ "THOROBRED 23U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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  38. ^ "It's All Over. It's All Norwalk!". WJPA. August 24, 2002. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  39. ^ "Lakewood, CA 4, Humacao, PR 3". WJPA. August 16, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  40. ^ "Saturday--Championship Day! | East Cobb, GA 3, Mililani, HI 1 FINAL!". WJPA. August 21, 2004. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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  42. ^ "Caguas wins it all, 4-2!". WJPA. August 19, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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  51. ^ "San Bernardino falls to Chinese Taipei in Pony League World Series final". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Rancho Cucamonga, California. August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  52. ^ Osher, Wendy (August 10, 2016). "Maui Finishes Runner-Up in Pony League World Series". mauinow.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  53. ^ "Covina rallies for Pony League title". Observer–Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  54. ^ Campbell, Luke (August 15, 2018). "Chinese Taipei, Tien shut down Long Beach to win 9th PLWS title". Observer–Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  55. ^ "2019 Pony League World Series". WJPA. August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  56. ^ Dugan, Chris (May 2, 2020). "Pony League World Series canceled for first time". Observer–Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  57. ^ "Brownsville Wins Pony World Series Championship". KRGV-TV. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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40°9′19.28″N 80°16′58.90″W / 40.1553556°N 80.2830278°W / 40.1553556; -80.2830278

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