At the beginning of the 2002 tournament the Little League organization retired uniform number 11 for all teams playing in the LLWS from that year forward in honour of Fire Department of New York firefighter Michael Cammarata, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks,[3] who had worn that number during the 1991 LLWS.
Between five and twelve teams take part in 16 regional qualification tournaments, which vary in format depending on region. In the United States, the qualification tournaments are in the same format as the Little League World Series itself: a round-robin tournament followed by an elimination round to determine the regional champion.
Moscow, Russia Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Khovrino Little League
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
Pool play
The top two teams in each pool move on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 25 to play for the Little League world championship.
Pool A
Region
Record
Southwest
2–1
New England
2–1
Northwest
2–1
Midwest
0–3
Pool B
Region
Record
Great Lakes
3–0
Mid-Atlantic
2–1
West
1–2
Southeast
0–3
August 16
New England
2–3
Northwest
Midwest
0–1
Southwest
August 17
West
1–4
Great Lakes
Mid-Atlantic
9–3
Southeast
New England
2–1
Midwest
August 18
Southeast
8–11
West
West
10–4
Southeast
Northwest
0–8
Southwest
Great Lakes
2–0
Mid-Atlantic
August 19
New England
6–0
Southwest
Midwest
1–2
Northwest
August 20
West
2–5
Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
2–4
Great Lakes
International
Pool C
Region
Record
Latin America
2–1
Pacific
2–1
Transatlantic
2–1
Canada
0–3
Pool D
Region
Record
Asia
3–0
Caribbean
2–1
Mexico
1–2
EMEA
0–3
August 16
Transatlantic
3–2
Canada
August 17
Pacific
1–11
Latin America
Mexico
1–10
Caribbean
EMEA
0–7
Asia
August 18
Transatlantic
6–9
Pacific
Mexico
4–3
EMEA
August 19
EMEA
0–13† (4 innings)
Caribbean
Asia
11–0† (4 innings)
Mexico
Canada
3–9
Latin America
August 20
Asia
5–0
Caribbean
Canada
7–12
Pacific
Transatlantic
6–5
Latin America
Elimination rounds
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
August 21 - Lamade (Game ended by mercy rule)
Sendai, Japan
10
August 24 - Lamade
Hagåtña, Guam
0
Sendai, Japan
4
August 22 - Lamade
Willemstad, Curaçao
1
Valencia, Venezuela
0
August 25 - Lamade
Willemstad, Curaçao
3
Sendai, Japan
0
August 21 - Lamade (11 innings)
Louisville, Kentucky
1
Louisville, Kentucky
2
August 24 - Lamade
Fort Worth, Texas
1
Louisville, Kentucky
4
August 22 - Lamade
Worcester, Massachusetts
0
Third place
Worcester, Massachusetts
5
August 25 - Volunteer
New York, New York
2
Worcester, Massachusetts
1
Willemstad, Curaçao
9
2002 Little League World Series Champions
Valley Sports American Little League Louisville, Kentucky
Notes
† Game ended by "mercy rule" (at least a 10-run difference through 5 innings)
Champions path
The Louisville Valley Sports American LL went undefeated on their road to the LLWS, winning all eleven of their matches.[4][5] In total record was 17–0.
In 2024, the game and the Fort Worth team’s emotional journey were dramatized in the feature film You Gotta Believe, starring Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear. The film highlights the team’s run in honor of a teammate’s father who was terminally ill and portrays the semifinal as a pivotal moment in their path to Williamsport.[6][7][8]
The U.S. semifinal between Valley Sports American Little League (Louisville, Kentucky) and Westside Little League (Fort Worth, Texas) lasted 11 innings, making it one of the longest games in Little League World Series history. The dramatic finish included back-to-back home runs in the top of the 11th inning, with Zach Osborne breaking the tie and teammate Aaron Alvey following with another blast. Osborne was later named MVP, while Alvey also set the tournament’s strikeout record. Pitcher Josh Robinson took the mound in the bottom of the inning and recorded the final three outs to secure the victory for Valley Sports.[9][10][11]
Notable performances
Several players from the 2002 tournament turned in performances that remain among the most memorable in Little League World Series history:
Valley Sports pitcher Aaron Alvey recorded 44 strikeouts during the 2002 Series — the most by any player in a single Little League World Series to date. In the U.S. semifinal, he struck out 19 batters across nine no-hit innings before leaving under pitch-count rules.[12][13]
Westside starter Walker Kelly matched Alvey’s dominance in the same game, pitching nine innings of no-hit baseball with 21 strikeouts, one of the highest single-game totals in Series history.[14][15]
Valley Sports shortstop/pitcher Zach Osborne was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. In addition to hitting the decisive 11th-inning home run in the U.S. semifinal, he posted a 0.00 ERA over 13 innings pitched during the Series, as noted in the official record book.[16][17]
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Louisville, Kentucky 
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan 
