La Vida Baseball

Little League’s Los Rubios

By Henry Pacheco

It’s that time of year again. As many students head back to school, 16 baseball teams from all over the globe have found their way to Williamsport, PA for the 2018 Little League World Series (LLWS).

Kids from Australia to Spain and Rhode Island to Hawaii are all trying to make history. And while most fans have never heard of these players, the personalities of the players from all over the world becomes captivating ever August.

This year has been no different. On Thursday, the La Vida Baseball staff found itself glued to the television in our office as Puerto Rico and South Korea battled for nine innings (a regulation Little League game is six innings). In the end, South Korea emerged with a 4-2 victory but the drama and emotion was on par with anything you’ll see from a major league game.

The team from Puerto Rico calls Guayama home, a town that has a number of major leaguers including Twins outfielder Eddir Rosario. They are representing the Caribbean Region in the double-elimination tournament, and had a chance to play their second game on Saturday against Australia. The Little Los Rubios put together a strong 6-0 victory and stayed alive in the tournament.

One of their biggest inspirations for the kids playing in the LLWS continues to be the Puerto Rican National team from last year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC). According to Puerto Rico’s catcher, John Lopez, the team has drawn so much inspiration from last year’s Los Rubios that these kids decided to dye their hair blond just like members of the National Team, which included Rosario, Javier Báez, Carlos Beltrán and Yadier Molina. 

Last year during the 2018 WBC, the entire Puerto Rican national team dyed their hair blonde as a sign of unity.

It’s amazing to see how much these kids look up to their role models who inspire them to play hard and proudly represent their country. It’s also great to see members of Los Rubios encouraging them to be their very best.

With support from their country and favorite players behind them, there’s no telling how far Los little Rubios can go. Their next game is Monday Aug. 20 at 1 PM ET.

Featured Image: Corte4 Twitter