Little League – M. Sullivan Photography

B A S E B A L L

From Coach Sullivan (aka Mike/Dad)

A look back at the 2013 Little League Red Sox season offered highs and lows. The year began with practices in a gym amid a snowy April coating the ball park. This year I jumped into the head coaching role after assisting for years. The experience was extremely rewarding. Youth sports have changed tremendously since I was a child with many sports playing year round. In northern Minnesota, baseball is still a summertime sport and a favorite of mine. I instructed the kids at the beginning of the season to play hard, stay positive, have fun and the rewards will come.

Sebastian began his third and final year on the pitching mound leading his team to an opening day victory. After a roller coaster regular season of 18 games the team, now great friends, came together and made a memorable playoff run. The Red Sox played 5 games in 7 nights and finished with a solid 2nd place trophy.

Sebastian finished the year with a batting average over 400 and two unforgettable performances on the pitching mound. The first was 5 innings of shutout ball against the #2 seed Rays before reaching his pitch count limit of 85 pitches. His buddy came in to close the game and the Red Sox won the game 3-0.

In Sebastian’s second playoff appearance, he served up a gem. His first ever complete game – 6 innings, 22 batters, 4 strike outs and no walks. His pitch count when it was over – 63. We won 2-1 in a crazy nail-biter vs. the A’s. It was an elimination game for us and Sebastian stepped up big-time surrounded by a huge crowd of parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends and other coaches watching, including the league president, who personally congratulated him after the game. It was a double-elimination tournament so we needed to beat the A’s twice. This was the first. Unfortunately, the second night the Red Sox fell short, but it was a wonderful journey.

I’m really proud of Sebastian as a player, a teammate, and a leader. Awesome job! It’s been a fun ride in my last stint as head coach. Sebastian will move to the Juniors division next year.

Here are some photos from the playoffs.

And because playing for one baseball team wasn’t enough for Sebastian this year, here’s a peek at AllStars baseball.

See you at the field next year!

Guest post by Mike…

On a beautiful, sunny evening the 2012 ELL Red Sox took the field against the league favorite Diamondbacks. For the first time is his young baseball career, Sebastian was given the nod as starting pitcher. With butterflies in many stomachs, the Red Sox gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning with a couple of walks and some fielding errors. However, Sebastian relaxed and entered a zone recording 3 strikeouts to finish the inning. He pitched the next two innings allowing no runs and recording 4 more strikeouts before his pitch count reached near maximum per league rules. A solid first start. Way to go Sebastian!

On the batting side, the Red Sox were a bit overwhelmed by the best pitcher in the league…a 12 year old that can throw over 60 mph. He breezed through our line up the first two rounds before Sebastian broke up his no hitter with a solid double to right center.