List of Little League World Series Championship Game broadcasters

Note that this list focuses on the television network(s) and announcers who have broadcast the Little League World Series' World Championship Game.

1950s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
1953[1][2] CBS Jim McKay

1960s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
1960[3] ABC
1963[4] Chris Schenkel
1964 Jim McKay Bill Veeck and Sonny Fox
1965[5] Jackie Robinson and Sonny Fox
1966 Sonny Fox Keith Jackson
1967 Ted Williams[6] Howard Cosell
1968 Keith Jackson Jimmy Piersall Jim McKay
1969[7] Jim McKay Mickey Mantle Vin Scully

1970s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
1970 ABC Jim McKay Mickey Mantle Jack Twyman
1971 Jack Buck
1972 Bud Palmer Keith Jackson
1973 Keith Jackson Bob Gibson Frank Gifford
1974 Jim McKay Carlton Fisk Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell
1975 Keith Jackson Bob Uecker Al Michaels
1976 Bob Gibson Ross Porter
1977 Al Michaels Don Sutton Reggie Jackson
1978 Brooks Robinson Keith Jackson
1979[8] Mel Allen Red Barber Curt Gowdy and Keith Jackson

1980s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
1980[9][10] ABC Al Michaels Don Drysdale and Willie Stargell Howard Cosell
1981 Jim McKay Davey Lopes Bill Russell
1982 Steve Stone Frank Gifford
1983[11][12] Keith Jackson Earl Weaver Al Michaels
1984 Curt Gowdy Jim Palmer and Earl Weaver O. J. Simpson
1985 Jim McKay Jim Palmer Curt Gowdy
1986 Al Trautwig Johnny Bench Lynn Swann
1987 Jim Palmer Cheryl Miller and Becky Dixon
1988 Reggie Jackson and Lynn Swann
1989 Mike Adamle

Notes
  • At first, only the World Championship Game was televised under the Wide World of Sports[13] anthology umbrella on ABC. Since the late 1980s, when the tournament was reorganized, both the U.S. and international championships, the "semifinals," have been shown.
    • ESPN first began covering the games in 1982. With the expansion of ESPN's brand and its family of networks, the total number of games has significantly increased. In 2000, a total of 12 games were televised by ESPN. In addition, the popularity of the game increased the total number of teams from 8 to 16 and ESPN covered all eight U.S. regional championships in 2001 (something they still do today). This was as a result of a second stadium, Volunteer Stadium, which allowed games to take place simultaneously. Also that year, ABC began televising the U.S. Championship Game. That year, ESPN aired a total of 25 games. In 2003, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 carried a total of 35 games including regional championships.[14][15] All games aired on any ESPN network are also available via Internet streaming on ESPN3.
  • 1985 - ABC carries the Little League World Series championship game live for the first time on Wide World of Sports. For the first time in baseball history, the home plate umpire wears a miniature camera on his mask.

1990s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
1990 ABC Al Trautwig Jim Palmer Mike Adamle
1991 Brent Musburger Julie Moran
1992
1993 John Saunders Julie Moran and Maria Sansone
1994[16] Maria Sansone
1995 Terry Gannon Jimmy Key Maria Sansone
1996 Kirby Puckett Dan Patrick
1997 Brent Musburger Jim Palmer Jimmy Roberts
1998 Jack Arute
1999 Terry Gannon Harold Reynolds Dave Ryan

Notes
  • 1994 - A three-hour rain delay forced Wide World of Sports to go off the air on many ABC affiliates before the game could be completed. The West Coast however, got to see the remainder of the game live from Williamsport, Pa.
  • 1997 - For the first time, U.S. Regional championship games in Little League Baseball are televised nationally on ESPN2.

2000s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
2000 ABC Brent Musburger Harold Reynolds and Orel Hershiser Dave Ryan
2001[17] Dave Ryan and Álvaro Martín
2002 Harold Reynolds and Tony Gwynn Todd Harris
2003 Harold Reynolds Sam Ryan
2004 Harold Reynolds and Buck Martinez Sam Ryan and Dave Ryan
2005 Harold Reynolds Sam Ryan
2006 ESPN2 Orel Hershiser and Joe Morgan Erin Andrews and Orestes Destrade
2007[18][19] ABC Orel Hershiser and Dusty Baker Erin Andrews and Orestes Destrade
2008 Orel Hershiser Stacey Dales, Pedro Gomez, and Orestes Destrade
2009 Moises Arias and Orestes Destrade

Notes
  • 2002 - Both the U.S. Championship and World Championship Games were televised live during prime time for the first time (6:30 ET). The World Championship Game was aired on tape delay on the West Coast.
  • In 2006, 28 of the 36 games were televised on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
    • 2006 - The World Championship Game was initially supposed to air on ABC. However, a rain delay caused the game to be postponed until following day (Monday, August 28, 2006). As a result, the Championship Game instead, aired on ESPN2.
  • In January 2007, it was announced that ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC had extended their contract with the Little League organization through 2014.[20]

2010s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
2010 ABC Brent Musburger Orel Hershiser Kyle Peterson and Bobby Valentine
2011 Kyle Peterson
2012 Karl Ravech Nomar Garciaparra Jenn Brown
2013 Orel Hershiser and Nomar Garciaparra Jaymee Sire
2014 Barry Larkin and Nomar Garciaparra
2015 Nomar Garciaparra and Kyle Peterson
2016 John Kruk and Kyle Peterson
2017] Aaron Boone and Kyle Peterson Julie Foudy and Sebastian Salazar
2018 Kyle Peterson and David Ross
2019

2020s
Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporters
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

See also

References
  1. 1953 Little League World Series -- CBS newsreel on YouTube
  2. 1953 - The Little League World Series is televised for the first time, by CBS, with rookie announcer Jim McKay behind the mike.
  3. The World Series final is broadcast live on television – ABC's first. Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1963 - ABC and its Wide World of Sports program televises the Little League World Series championship game for the first time, with Chris Schenkel calling the play-by-play. Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1965 Little League World Series Final Game on YouTube
  6. Baseball great Ted Williams is an announcer for ABC. Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Little League World Series - Santa Clara Briarwood 1969 on YouTube
  8. LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES 1979 on YouTube
  9. 1980 LLWS-(World Title Game)-Florida vs. Taiwan-(Part 1) on YouTube
  10. 1980 LLWS-(World Title Game)-Florida vs. Taiwan-(Part 2)/ 1998 LLWS-New Jersey vs. Japan-(Part 1) on YouTube
  11. 1983 Little League World Series Highlights of East Marietta Georgia Winning The Final Game! on YouTube
  12. 1983 Little League World Champs! on YouTube
  13. Little League World Series Was Longest-Running Event on ‘ABC’s Wide World of Sports’
  14. "ESPN.com - Little League World Series coverage". sports.espn.go.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07.
  15. Wise, Mike (18 August 2003). "BASEBALL; Little League Innocence Fades in TV Glare". Archived from the original on 29 December 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  16. Northridge Little league Champs 1994 on YouTube
  17. ABC Sports Little League World Series (2001) on YouTube
  18. Dodgers Cody Bellinger in 2007 Little League World Series on YouTube
  19. Dalton Carriker Walk Off Home Run - 2007 LLWS WC Japan vs Georgia on YouTube
  20. "Page Not Found - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com. Archived from the original on 1996-12-21. Cite uses generic title (help)
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