Curaçao shut out Japan 4-0 on Saturday at Lamade Stadium to win the Little League World Series international championship.
They played on the first day too. Curaçao won that one 6-0.
Pariba Little League of Willemstad improved to 5-0, and would go on to beat Nevada 11-2 in Sunday's final.
Twelve strikeouts
Jaymiëll Martina struck out twelve Japanese hitters and allowed two.
He struck out the side in the first, again in the third, and got two more in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. Japan's only hits came from Tensei Yazawa and Yunosuke Yabe.
Japan loaded the bases in the top of the first. Martina struck out Takeru Yorozu, Ryosuke Takaoka and Taiga Yumitori to end it, and Tokyo never got that close again.
Small ball beat the home run team
Japan hit six home runs in this tournament, more than anybody. In the international championship they got two hits.
Curaçao's decisive inning didn't include one either.
Jaymiel Antonia reached on a dropped third strike. Nathanael Jansen bunted into a fielder's choice — the pitcher threw it away, then the center fielder did too, and Antonia scored.
Ruendrikson Leuteria bunted him to third. Jordan Richards bunted and the catcher threw it away, scoring Jansen. Juriënsly De Windt bunted and the first baseman threw it away, scoring Richards. Q'Jeaume Valks bunted De Windt to second.
Five bunts, three errors, three runs, zero hits.
Then in the fourth they finally swung. Giendry Ryan singled, V-dien Ignacio Lindo bunted him over, and Martina doubled to center to make it 4-0.
Four runs. One of them earned.
The numbers
Curaçao: 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors
Japan: 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 errors
Japan struck out twelve times and walked twice. Curaçao struck out six. Yunosuke Yabe took the loss.
Who did it
Curaçao beat Japan 6-0, South Korea 1-0, Nicaragua 12-3, and Japan again 4-0 to reach the final. Through five games it had allowed three runs, all in a single inning against Nicaragua, none on a hit.
This was also the first year Curaçao received a direct berth into the international bracket. No regional tournament, no play-in.
This is also the first year Curaçao received a direct berth into the international bracket. No regional tournament, no play-in.
Japan's tournament
Joto Little League lost the opener and won five straight to get back: 10-1 over the Dominican Republic, 3-2 over Czechia, 3-1 over Mexico, 7-3 over Canada, 4-1 over Nicaragua. Ayumu Hasegawa and Ryoji Sasaki, both listed at 4-foot-8, were the shortest players in the tournament.
Japan has eleven Little League World Series titles, more than any country outside the United States. Curaçao ended their tournament twice in nine days.
Japan went on to beat Ohio 3-2 in Sunday's consolation game, scoring three with two outs in the last inning on a walk-off bunt single by Hasegawa.
An island of 158,000
Curaçao sits 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela. About 158,000 people live there.
Andruw Jones was elected to the Hall of Fame in July, the first player born there to make it. The island has also produced Andrelton Simmons, Kenley Jansen, Didi Gregorius, Jurickson Profar, Ozzie Albies and Xander Bogaerts.
Albies sang the Curaçao national anthem in Williamsport this week.
What happened next
Curaçao beat Nevada 11-2 on Sunday to win the Little League World Series, finishing 6-0. It's Willemstad's first title since 2004.
Full LLWS schedule, scores and every team's hometown. Rosters and box score via Little League and GameChanger.