1957 Little League World Series
The Little League World Series took place during August 21 through 23 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, defeated Northern La Mesa Little League of La Mesa, California, in the championship game of the 11th Little League World Series. Ángel Macías threw the first and, to date, only perfect game in an LLWS championship. This was the first LLWS to invite teams from qualifying regions: North, South, East, and West. Monterrey, representing the South region, became the first team from outside the United States or Canada to participate in a  LLWS, and the first non-U.S. team to win a championship. Industrial Little League of Monterrey. In early July 1957, the team from Monterrey crossed the U.S. border to compete in an area tournament in McAllen, Texas. The team were issued three-day passes by the U.S. consul office in Monterrey; the plan was to play for one day and sightsee for two more. Two months later, the team returned to Monterrey. Their money had run out after three days, and phone calls to Washington were needed to allow the team to extend their stay in the U.S. until they  were eliminated. They never were. Led by ambidextrous pitcher Ángel Macías, the legendary Monterrey team won six tournaments, including the South Region tournament and the Little League World Series. The team was called "Los pequeños gigantes" ("The little giants"). Two movies are based on their story: a Mexican production, "Los Pequeños Gigantes" (1960), and "The Perfect Game" (2009). Episode 296 of the Futility Closet podcast covers the team and their Little League World Series championship. Championship bracket. California's first game was played a day later than planned, due to illness within the team, resulting in the third-place game  also being delayed a day.