Little League canceled its World Series and World Series qualifiers on Thursday. The coronavirus caused the first-ever cancellation in the 74-year history of the event. The LLWS began in 1947 and had been played every year since.
The tournament was scheduled for August in Williamsport, Pa. The Aug. 23 Red Sox-Orioles game in Williamsport is also canceled. In a statement, Little League said that local leagues could look into resuming play after May 11.
"After exhausting all possible options, we came to the conclusion that because of the significant public health uncertainty that will still exist several months from now, and with direction from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ... and government leaders from locations where our other six World Series are held ... it will not be possible to proceed with our tournaments as we've hosted them for nearly 75 years," Little League president Stephen Keener said in a statement.
The statement also said that international travel restrictions were a major factor.
