Throughout World War II, Little League's growth was hampered by the fact that many fathers in the U.S. were in the military. By 1946, there were only 12 teams patterned after the Little League model originally devised by Carl Stotz in 1938 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In 1947, the board of directors for the original Little League decided to organize a tournament for all known Little League programs (there were 17) and called it the National Little League Tournament. It was later renamed the Little League Baseball World Series.
The 12 teams that participated in the first series in 1947 were:
| Willliamsport (Original Little League) | Williamsport Sunday School League | Maynard Midget League (Williamsport) | Lincoln League Stars (Williamsport) |
| Brandon Boys League (Williamsport) | Milton (PA) Midget League | Montour (PA) Little League | Montgomery (PA) Little League |
| Jersey Shore (PA) All Stars | Lock Haven (PA) All Stars | Hammonton (NJ) All Stars | West Shore Original Little League (PA) |
The Champion was Maynard Midget League of Williamsport, which defeated Lock Haven All Stars in the final game, 16-7.
More than 2,500 spectators witnessed the championship game in 1947, and the results were printed in newspapers around the country. The publicity helped spread Little League nationwide, and within a few years, Little League programs were in in every state. When Little League added other programs (Senior League division, Softball, etc.) it added tournament play and World Series tournaments in those divisions. There are now 7 World Series tournaments played every year in the various divisions.
In 2019, over the course of 30 days, approximately 935 Little Leaguers ages 10 - 16 from 78 different baseball and softball teams around the world will compete to determine the 7 World Series Champions for 2019.
Little League World Series Historical Results
Highlights of 2017 MLB Little League Classic Experience
Highlights of the 2018 MLB Little League Classic Experience
Need more Baseball and Softball World Series excitement? See all the World Series highlights at http://videos.littleleague.org/.