| Dates: | August 19–August 29 |
| Num Teams: | 16 (US-based only) |
| Champion Other: | Taylor North Little League, Taylor, Michigan |
| Second Other: | West Side Little League, Hamilton, Ohio |
The 2021 Little League World Series was held from August 19 to August 29 at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania as the 74th edition of the Little League World Series. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was limited to US-based teams only. The most recent prior edition of the tournament contested without international teams had been 1975. Taylor North Little League of Taylor, Michigan, defeated West Side Little League of Hamilton, Ohio, in the championship by a 5–2 score. It was the first championship for a team from Michigan since .[1]
On August 13, it was announced that tickets would not be distributed to the public due to concerns over the Delta variant, with spectators limited to invited friends and family of teams, and other high-level supporters.[2]
See main article: 2021 Little League World Series qualification. The 16-team field consisted of the top two teams from eight regional tournaments, contested during July and August.[3]
| United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Regional winner | Regional runner-up | ||
| Taylor, Michigan Taylor North Little League | bgcolor=lightgrey | Hamilton, Ohio West Side Little League | ||
| Mid-Atlantic Region | bgcolor=lightgrey | Oaks, Pennsylvania Upper Providence Little League | Toms River, New Jersey Toms River East Little League | |
| Midwest Region | Hastings, Nebraska Hastings Baseball Little League | bgcolor=lightgrey | Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls Little League | |
| bgcolor=lightgrey | Hooksett, New Hampshire North Manchester–Hooksett LL | Manchester, Connecticut Manchester Little League | ||
| Sammamish, Washington Eastlake Little League | bgcolor=lightgrey | Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego Little League | ||
| bgcolor=lightgrey | Nolensville, Tennessee Nolensville Little League | Palm City, Florida Martin County North Little League | ||
| bgcolor=lightgrey | Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette Little League | Abilene, Texas Wylie Little League | ||
| Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu Little League | bgcolor=lightgrey | Torrance, California Torrance Little League | ||
Ella Bruning of the team from Abilene, Texas, became one of the few girls who have competed in the Little League World Series.[4]
See main article: 2021 Little League World Series results. The draw to determine the opening round pairings took place on June 18, 2021.[5]
The championship game was a rematch of the Great Lakes regional final during the qualification stage, which was won by Michigan, 9–1.[6] [7]
The Taylor North LL reached the LLWS with an undefeated record in seven games.[8] In total, their record was 16–1, with their only loss coming to Hawaii in the third round of double-elimination play in South Williamsport.[9]
| Round | Opposition | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State Tournament | |||
| Quarterfinal Round | 9–1 | ||
| Semifinal Round | 4–2 | ||
| Championship Game | 9–2 | ||
| Great Lakes Regional Tournament | |||
| Winner's Bracket Opening Round | 10–0 (F/5) | ||
| Winner's Bracket Semifinal | 9–1 | ||
| Semifinal | 10–0 (F/5) | ||
| Finals | 9–1 | ||
The MLB Little League Classic game at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in nearby Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was played on August 22 between the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels.[10] Cleveland won the game, 3–0.[11] The fourth edition of the Classic to be played, it became the first edition contested between American League teams, after the 2020 game scheduled between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]