Curaçao Beats Japan 4-0 to Reach Little League World Series Championship

Jaymiëll Martina delivered a dominant pitching performance for Curaçao, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out 12 batters and allowing only two hits and two walks. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when a series of bunts and four Japanese fielding errors produced a 3-0 lead. Martina added an RBI double in the fourth inning, extending the margin to 4-0. He exited with two outs in the top of the sixth to a standing ovation that included cheering Japanese fans along the third-base line. The victory sends Curaçao to the Little League Baseball World Series championship game.

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Curaçao’s team from Willemstad has outscored opponents 23-3 across four games in the Williamsport tournament. This marks the island’s sixth appearance in the championship game and the third time in five years a Willemstad squad will face a U.S. team for the title. Earlier in the double-elimination round, Curaçao and Japan met in a 6-0 loss for Japan, after which the two teams faced off again in the international finale.

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• Final score: Curaçao 4, Japan 0

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• Martina’s line: 5 2/3 innings, 12 K, 2 H, 2 BB, 86 pitches (maximum allowed)

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• Team offensive output: three additional hitters recorded hits; total tournament run differential + 20 (23 runs scored, 3 allowed)

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• Attendance: approximately 22,000 fans filled Lamade Stadium’s bleachers and hillside viewing area

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Japanese manager Masanori Takeda commended his players, saying they “did very well” and continued to fight despite the loss, emphasizing the team’s resilience.

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• “I started listening to the coach. I was throwing different balls, and then I started listening, and then I threw good,” — Jaymiëll Martina

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• “He’s (Martina) a very good pitcher. He has a good fastball and curveball and (slider), we can’t say more,” — Masanori Takeda, japanese manager

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• “Because the score was (low), and we knew Japan is a difficult team, when they couldn’t make outs out of the bunts, we kept bunting,” — Gijisbertha

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• “The people there in Curaçao are very happy that we’ve got so far,” — Railison Gijsbertha, from curaçao manager

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