It’s been an incredible run for a North Vancouver baseball team – a string of games that nearly took them to the finals of the Junior World Series.
After becoming national champions on July 31, the Mount Seymour Little League squad of 13- and 14-year-olds quickly readied themselves to travel to Taylor, Mich., where they would represent their country at the World Series event.
Ecstatic to have made it that far, everything beyond that felt like a bonus for the team, according to the players’ parents. But the newly minted Team Canada gave an exceptional performance on the international stage, gaining accolades for their small organization’s ability and character on the field.
In the round robin portion of the tournament, Canada won its first two games – against Australia (6-2) and Mexico (3-2) – a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a Canadian team since a Saskatchewan roster in 2014.
The Mexico game on Aug. 5 was incredible, said Ben Boon, a parent who travelled with the team to nationals in Alberta and to the World Series in Michigan.
Mexico, which is typically one of the strongest teams at the tourney, got an early lead over Team Canada. Then, play stopped for nearly three hours due to rain – something the boys had never experienced before, as games back home are cancelled when conditions get that bad.
But the North Van team was raring to go when play resumed, scoring three runs to beat Mexico.
The highlight of that game – and Team Canada’s tournament run – was when Eli Anderson made a catch and tagged the runner going back to first base, an unassisted double play that aired as ESPN SportCenter’s No. 5 top play of the day.
“It was an amazing play. It saved us because the bases were loaded. There were no outs. We were up 3-2 against Mexico. I think we were all thinking, ‘Oh, they’re going to get the runs in here, which beats us,’” Boon said. “Then this incredible double play … got us back into a winning position.”
'Experience of a lifetime'
Then the Mount Seymour lineup ran into stiff competition, losing 13-0 against Asia-Pacific on Thursday (Aug. 9) and 15-0 against Latin America on Friday (Aug. 10). Asia-Pacific would go on to win the bracket, defeating Latin America 4-0 and top U.S. team Michigan D5 5-0 in the final.
Boon described the Asia-Pacific team, from Taiwan, as a junior baseball juggernaut. Compared to Mount Seymour Little League, which draws from 37 kids in the age group, the Asia-Pacific team pulls its players from a pool of hundreds attending a baseball academy on the island nation.
“We struggled,” Boon said. “These kids are pitching faster and more accurately than any of our boys had ever experienced.”
Overall, it was an unforgettable tournament for the Mount Seymour team, which was recognized by peers and tournament organizers for its sportsmanship, making international friends and gaining lifelong memories along the way.
Exhausted but brimming with pride, the teenage baseball players returned to North Vancouver Monday evening.
“It really has been an experience of a lifetime for these boys,” Boon said.
