Little League World Series 2013: Japan Fortifies Dominance with Championship Win

Japan faced adversity early and late in the Little League World Series championship game on Sunday, but emerged victorious by a score of 6-4 over Chula Vista, Calif.

The title-winning team from the Musashi Fuchu Little League in Tokyo gives Japan its third LLWS crown in four years, confirming the nation is indeed the most dominant force at this level of youth baseball.

After falling into a 2-0 hole after just one inning against their Californian counterparts in South Williamsport, Pa., the international champions responded to tie things up in the bottom half with some small ball.

Two passed balls in the inning allowed Japan to load the bases, as Chula Vista ace Grant Holman wasn't getting much help from behind the plate. Eventually, an RBI single by Takuma Gomi plated one run, and when the throw home got by the catcher, the game was tied:

It was especially impressive, considering Holman threw a no-hitter earlier in the Little League World Series. Holman is also a prolific hitter, having hit a grand slam and three-run homer, per SportsCenter:

For the third consecutive game, too, Japan pulled off some late heroics to triumph. Trailing 4-3 entering the fifth inning, Shunpei Takagi hit his second solo home run of the contest to tie things up at four. A subsequent two-run double proved to be the difference at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

That type of resilience is what wins championships, and it appears to be a trend rather than an aberration for young baseball players in Japan.

In the International Championship against the high-powered Mexico squad from Tijuana, a fantastic, fundamentally sound defensive performance defined the day for Japan. Gomi was the one who laced the winning home run in the top of sixth in that one, keying the 3-2 victory.

That was a rematch of the prior showdown in the Round 3 winner's bracket, when Japan knocked in three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull away 5-2.

It appears Japan is the only consistently formidable international competition for the U.S. little leagues, because American clubs had captured six of the previous eight championships:

Had Chula Vista come out on top, the team would have gotten California its eighth Little League World Series title, which would have tied Japan.

Clearly, this Tokyo team had other plans, and in an extraordinary all-around display of a truly complete baseball club, Japan successfully defended their title and confirmed their dominance in little league baseball worldwide.

Note: Statistics and information are courtesy of the Little League World Series' official website.