Little League World Series Pitching Records: Complete Guide
The Little League World Series has produced extraordinary pitching in the history of youth baseball. Six-inning games with 18 strikeouts. Perfect games in championship games. Eleven-inning marathons with 49 combined strikeouts.
| Perfect Games in LLWS History | 8 total, first by Fred Shapiro in 1956 |
| Most Ks, Single 6-Inning Game | 18, Chao-An Chen 1979, Kalen Pimentel 2005 |
| Most Ks, Extra Innings Game | 21, Walker Kelly 2002 (11 innings) |
| Most Combined Ks, Single Game | 49, Louisville vs Fort Worth 2002 (11 innings) |
| Championship Perfect Game | Angel Macias , Monterrey, Mexico 1957 |
| First Girl to Win at LLWS | Mo’ne Davis, Philadelphia 2014 |
| Most Tournament No-Hitters | Sean Burroughs, 2 no-hitters in 1992 tournament |
| Longest Game in LLWS History | 11 innings, Louisville vs Fort Worth, 2002 |
Pitchers who went on to the Major Leagues. A 13-year-old girl who became the first female to win a game at Williamsport. This guide covers all of it.
This guide covers every major pitching record in LLWS history, individual game records, tournament records, perfect games, no-hitters, ERA records, and the performances that changed how the world saw Little League pitching.
LLWS Pitching Records by the Numbers
Perfect games
8
In LLWS history
Most Ks in a
18
6-inning game
Most combined
49
Ks in one game
Most Ks in
22
9-inning game
ERA record,
0.00
multiple pitchers
Every Perfect Game in LLWS History
Eight perfect games have been thrown in the Little League World Series since 1947. A regulation perfect game at the LLWS means retiring all 18 batters faced across six innings. Some perfect games were shortened due to the mercy rule. Each one is listed below.
| Year | Pitcher | Team | Opponent | Score | Innings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Fred Shapiro | Delaware Township, NJ | Opponent | Win | 6 | First perfect game in LLWS history |
| 1957 | Angel Macias | Monterrey, Mexico | La Mesa, CA | 4-0 | 6 | Only perfect game in championship history, 11 Ks |
| 1958 | Unknown | TBD | TBD | Win | 6 | Third perfect game on record |
| 2001 | Danny Almonte | Bronx, NY | Apopka, FL | 5-0 | 6 | Later disqualified; Almonte was 14, not 12 |
| 2008 | Jesus Sauceda | Matamoros, Mexico | Italy | Mercy rule win | 4 | Only 4 innings; mercy rule ended the game |
| 2017 | Carson Hardee, Matthew Matthijs, Chase Anderson | Greenville, NC (Southeast) | Sioux Falls, SD (Midwest) | 6-0 | 6 | First combined perfect game in LLWS history, 3 pitchers |
The Almonte asterisk: Danny Almonte’s 2001 perfect game was one of the most dominant pitching performances ever seen at Williamsport. He struck out 16 of 18 batters he faced. Weeks after the tournament, investigators found Almonte was 14 years old. His father had submitted a falsified birth certificate. All of Almonte’s team’s wins were vacated from official records. The perfect game does not count in official LLWS records.
LLWS Single-Game Strikeout Records
Most Strikeouts, Regulation 6-Inning Game
1979 – Chao-An Chen, Chinese Taipei vs Europe
18
Strikeouts
6
Innings
0.00
ERA
Pu-Tzu Town
Chinese Taipei
Chao-An Chen set the LLWS record for strikeouts in a regulation six-inning game with 18 Ks in the 1979 tournament. He also threw a perfect game in that outing. Chen’s performance came during one of Chinese Taipei’s most dominant eras. The same year, teammate Han-Chao Dai threw an eight-inning no-hitter in the championship game to win the title. The record stood for 26 years.
2002 – Walker Kelly, Fort Worth, Texas (21 Ks in 9 innings)
21 in 9 innings
Walker Kelly Ks
19 in 9 innings
Aaron Alvey Ks
49
Combined Ks
11
Innings
2-1
Louisville wins
The longest game in LLWS history produced the most combined strikeouts in a single game. Louisville beat Fort Worth 2-1 in 11 innings in the 2002 US semifinal. Walker Kelly of Fort Worth threw nine innings of two-hit baseball and struck out 21 batters. Louisville’s Aaron Alvey threw nine no-hit innings and struck out 19. Together, they combined for 49 strikeouts in three hours and eleven minutes. The game remains the longest in LLWS history by both innings and time.
2005 – Kalen Pimentel, California vs Kentucky
18
Strikeouts
6
Innings
7-2 win
Result
Rancho Buena Vista
Vista, CA
Kalen Pimentel of California tied Chao-An Chen’s 26-year-old record with 18 strikeouts against Owensboro Southern of Kentucky. Pimentel used a combination of fastball and curve that he said did not fully click until the fourth inning. He struck out the equivalent of every batter in the lineup three times. The record has not been broken since.
1997 – Chin-Mu Hsu, Chinese Taipei Championship Game
22
Strikeouts
9
Innings
win
Championship
Tainan City
Chinese Taipei
Before pitch count rules existed, games at the LLWS could go nine innings. Chin-Mu Hsu of Chinese Taipei struck out 22 batters in the 1971 championship game to earn the title. This remains the most strikeouts recorded in any single LLWS championship game. The modern six-inning format and pitch count limits make this record essentially unbreakable under current rules.
Notable No-Hitters in LLWS History
| Year | Pitcher | Team | Game | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Han-Chao Dai | Chinese Taipei | Championship game | 8-inning no-hitter in the 1979 title game. Chinese Taipei won 2-1. Chao-An Chen hit the tying homer earlier in the game. |
| 1992 | Sean Burroughs | Long Beach, CA | Regular tournament | Threw one of two no-hitters during the 1992 tournament. Long Beach won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993. |
| 1993 | Sean Burroughs | Long Beach, CA | Regular tournament | Second no-hitter in consecutive LLWS appearances. Burroughs batted .600 in the tournament as well. He was drafted 9th overall by San Diego in 1998. |
Sean Burroughs, the rare two-way LLWS star: Burroughs threw two no-hitters across consecutive LLWS appearances and batted .600 in the 1993 tournament. He was the son of former MLB player Jeff Burroughs. Long Beach remains the only US team to win back-to-back LLWS titles. Burroughs was drafted 9th overall by the San Diego Padres in 1998 and reached the Major Leagues in 2002.
LLWS ERA Records
Several pitchers have posted 0.00 ERAs across a full tournament at Williamsport. Little League International tracks ERA based on innings pitched with a minimum threshold. The list of pitchers with a perfect 0.00 ERA for a full tournament includes some of the most dominant pitching performances in LLWS history.
| Pitcher | Team | Year | ERA | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chao-An Chen | Pu-Tzu Town, Chinese Taipei | 1979 | 0.00 | 6.0 |
| José Luis Pichardo | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 1978 | 0.00 | 6.0 |
| Tsung-Hien Tsai | Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei | 1977 | 0.00 | 6.0 |
| Daisuke Araki | Tokyo, Japan | 1976 | 0.00 | 6.0 |
| Wen-Li Kuo | Taipei, Chinese Taipei | 1973 | 0.00 | 6.0 |
Chinese Taipei dominance in ERA records: Four of the five confirmed 0.00 ERA performances in LLWS history belong to Chinese Taipei pitchers. Their dominance from 1969 to 1981 produced a generation of pitchers who simply did not give up earned runs at Williamsport. The 1973 to 1981 run included five consecutive titles from 1977 to 1981.
Greatest Individual Pitching Performances in LLWS History
1957 – Angel Macías Throws the Only Perfect Game in Championship History
11
Strikeouts
6
Innings
4-0
Score
La Mesa, California
Opponent
Macias was ambidextrous and threw with both arms during the 1957 tournament. In the championship game, he chose to pitch right-handed against a La Mesa lineup of mostly right-handed hitters. He retired all 18 batters, struck out 11, and did not allow a single base runner. Monterrey became the first international team to win the LLWS. The perfect game in a championship has never been replicated in 79 years of tournaments.
2014 – Mo’ne Davis Becomes the First Girl to Win at the LLWS
8
Strikeouts
6
Innings
2
Hits Allowed
Taney
Philadelphia, PA
Mo’ne Davis threw a complete-game shutout against Nashville on August 15, 2014. She struck out 8 batters and gave up only 2 hits. She became the first female pitcher in LLWS history to throw a shutout and earn a win. She threw 70 mph from the mound, equivalent to a 93 mph reaction time on a full-sized MLB diamond. Sports Illustrated put her on the cover. She was 13 years old.
2008 – Jesus Sauceda Strikes Out Every Batter He Faces Against Italy
12
Strikeouts
4
Innings (mercy rule)
12
Batters Faced
Matamoros
Mexico
Jesus Sauceda of Mexico did not allow a single batter to reach base in four innings against Italy in 2008. He struck out all 12 batters he faced. The game ended early via the mercy rule. Sauceda also batted 3-for-3 at the plate with six RBI and a grand slam in the same game. It remains one of the most complete individual performances in LLWS history by a single player.
2004 – Jurickson Profar Dominates at the Plate and Mound for Curaçao
2-0
Pitching Record
19
Tournament Ks
12.1
Innings Pitched
.313
Batting Average
Jurickson Profar was 11 years old when he led Curaçao to the 2004 LLWS title. He went 2-0 on the mound with 19 strikeouts across 12 innings. He also batted .313 with 5 RBI. Profar was later drafted 9th overall by the Texas Rangers in 2009 and became an MLB All-Star. He returned to the 2005 LLWS as well, giving him back-to-back Williamsport appearances before his teen years.
How Pitch Count Rules Changed LLWS Pitching Records
Many of the records in this guide were set before modern pitch count rules existed. Today, pitchers aged 11 to 12 are limited to 85 pitches per day. A pitcher throwing 66 or more pitches must rest four calendar days before pitching again.
| Age | Daily Pitch Limit | Rest Required (66+ pitches) |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 11-12 | 85 pitches per day | 4 calendar days’ rest |
| Ages 9-10 | 75 pitches per day | 3 calendar days’ rest |
| Ages 7-8 | 50 pitches per day | 1 calendar day’s rest |
Before these rules, pitchers could throw complete nine-inning games at Williamsport. Chin-Mu Hsu’s 22-strikeout championship game in 1971 happened under those conditions. Modern pitch count limits make performances of that scale essentially impossible under current rules.
Why this matters for records: The 18-strikeout records by Chao-An Chen in 1979 and Kalen Pimentel in 2005 were set in six-inning games. Both pitchers threw near maximum pitch counts to achieve 18 Ks in six innings. Under today’s rules, a pitcher throwing at maximum efficiency can still reach 18 strikeouts in six innings, making those records theoretically breakable. None has been broken since 2005.
Conclusion
The LLWS pitching record book spans 79 years. Eight perfect games. An 18-strikeout record that has stood since 2005. A championship perfect game that has never been repeated.
The records set before modern pitch count rules reflect a different era of the tournament. The records set after 2006 reflect what is possible under the current system. The 2026 LLWS opens on August 19 in South Williamsport. Every game is a chance to add a new name to this list.
