PONY Baseball and Softball

PONY Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, Pennsylvania. Started in 1951,[2] PONY organizes youth baseball and softball leagues and tournaments, as over 500,000 players annually play PONY in over 4,000 leagues throughout the United States and over 40 countries world-wide. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world.[3] Membership is open to children and young adults from age 4 to 23 and the leagues are organized in two-year age brackets with "and-under" programs.[2] Hundreds of PONY players have gone on to Major League Baseball careers, including Hall of Fame inductees Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.[4]

This article is about the youth organization. For the defunct Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League in Minor League Baseball, see New York–Penn League.
PONY Baseball and Softball
TypeNon-profit
IndustryYouth sports
Founded1951 (1951)
HeadquartersWashington, Pennsylvania
Area served
United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific
Key people
Abraham Key, president[1]
ProductsBaseball and softball—leagues and tournaments
Websitepony.org

Origin of name

Children at the Washington, Pennsylvania, YMCA named the organization PONY, which stood for "Protect Our Neighborhood Youth." This later became "Protect Our Nation's Youth."[2]

Levels of play
A 14-year-old Pony League pitcher

Distances shown are for baseball with players pitching; distances for other offerings (such as baseball with machine pitching, fast pitch softball, and slow pitch softball) may vary.

LeagueAgesDistancesRef.
BasesPitching
Foal 4 and 350 feet (15.24 m)38 feet (11.58 m)[5]
Shetland 6 and under50 feet (15.24 m)38 feet (11.58 m)[6]
Pinto 8 and under60 feet (18.29 m)40 feet (12.19 m)[7]
Mustang10 and under46 feet (14.02 m)[8]
Bronco12 and under70 feet (21.34 m)50 feet (15.24 m)[9]
Pony14 and under80 feet (24.38 m)54 feet (16.46 m)[10]
Colt16 and under90 feet (27.43 m)60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m)[11]
Palomino19 and under[12]
Thorobred23 and under[13]

Pony League World Series
Pony League World Series
SportBaseball
Founded1952 (1952)
Most recent
champion(s)		Taiwan New Taipei City, Taiwan
(2022)
Most titlesTaiwan Taipei, Taiwan (5)[lower-alpha 1]
TV partner(s)MLB.com
Sponsor(s)Dick's Sporting Goods
Official websiteplws.org

The Pony League World Series is the flagship tournament of PONY Baseball and Softball. After the creation of the organization in 1951, there were already 505 teams across 106 leagues the following year. This prompted PONY to create the Pony League World Series in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which has hosted a majority of the tournaments since the inaugural edition in 1952.

From 1964 through 1983, the tournament did not have a set location and sometimes took place in other states: California (1964–1965, 1978), Iowa (1979–1980), Illinois (1967, 1974–1975), Nebraska (1966), Texas (1977), and Washington (1983).[14] In 1981, World Series Tournaments, Incorporated (WSTI) was put in charge of running the tournament, and every tournament since 1984 has been played in Washington County, although no team from Pennsylvania has won the tournament since 1955.

The first team from outside the United States to play in the tournament was Monterrey, Mexico, in 1959[14]—Monterrey had won the Little League World Series in 1957 and 1958. In 1968, international slots were added to the tournament, with teams from Canada and Venezuela participating.[15] The first participant from Puerto Rico was a team from Cataño in 1971.[14] The first non-US champion was a team from Monterrey in 1972. A team from Japan was the first non-Americas participant, in 1986. The first non-Americas champion was a team from Seoul, South Korea, in 1988.

The format of the tournament has differed; for most years it has been double-elimination, while at least the first tournament was single-elimination, and the finals were a best of three at least twice during the 1970s. Most editions of the tournament have been contested with a field of eight teams, but field size has been as small as four and as large as 10:[16]

Year(s)Teams
1952–19608
1961–19674
1968–19748
1975–19786
1979–19808
1981–19825
1983–20088
2009–201910
2020—
20218
2022-202310

The tournament is currently sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods and the games are streamed on MLB.com,[17] the official site of Major League Baseball. The recent finals can also be found on YouTube.[18]

After the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition was staged with only US-based teams (including a team from Puerto Rico).

Champions
Year Winner Score Runner–Up Ref.
1952 Texas San Antonio, Texas 2–1 Massachusetts Brockton, Massachusetts [19]
1953 West Virginia Fairmont, West Virginia 7–6 South Carolina North Charleston, South Carolina [20]
1954 Pennsylvania Monongahela, Pennsylvania 8–2 Illinois Chicago, Illinois [21]
1955 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania 4–0 Ohio Youngstown, Ohio [22]
1956 Illinois Joliet, Illinois 9–1 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan [23]
1957 Texas Lufkin, Texas 5–2 Illinois Maywood, Illinois [24]
1958 Florida Miami, Florida 3–2 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan [25]
1959 California Long Beach, California 8–0 Pennsylvania Greene County, Pennsylvania [26]
1960 Illinois Oak Park - River Forest, Illinois 5–4 California West Covina, California
1961 Michigan Hamtramck, Michigan 2–1 Texas San Antonio, Texas
1962 Texas Houston, Texas 4–1 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina
1963 Indiana Evansville, Indiana 3–1 California Canoga Park, California
1964 California Campbell-Moreland, California 8–2 Alabama Gadsden, Alabama
1965 California Long Beach, California 8–0 Illinois Joliet, Illinois
1966 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina 6–0 Alabama Gadsden, Alabama
1967 California Chula Vista, California 2–0 Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma
1968 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina 4–1 California Covina, California
1969 Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 8–5 California Arcadia, California
1970 California Buena Park, California 1–0 South Carolina Cayce/West Columbia/Lexington, South Carolina
1971 California Orange, California 6–5 Colorado Denver, Colorado [27]
1972 Mexico Monterrey, Mexico 2–0, 2–3, 3–1 Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii [28][29][30]
1973 California Santa Clara, California 4–3 Texas Fort Worth, Texas [31]
1974 California West Covina, California 11–2 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina [32]
1975 California Covina, California 7–3, 4–3 Illinois Wilmette, Illinois [33][34]
1976 Florida Tampa, Florida 14–0 Pennsylvania Monongahela, Pennsylvania
1977 Massachusetts New Bedford, Massachusetts 5–4 Florida Lake Worth, Florida
1978 California Campbell-Moreland, California 2–0 Illinois Joliet, Illinois
1979 California Campbell-Moreland, California 10–3 Texas Houston, Texas
1980 Hawaii Maui, Hawaii 3–2 North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina
1981 California West Covina, California 16–10 Florida Miami, Florida [35]
1982 California West Covina, California 5–4 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1983 California Santa Susana, California 8–4 Texas Houston, Texas
1984 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 3–0 Florida Miami, Florida
1985 Georgia (U.S. state) Marietta, Georgia 7–0 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1986 California Valencia, Santa Clarita, California 3–2 Japan Edogawa, Japan
1987 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 9–4 Texas Houston, Texas
1988 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 15–0 California La Mesa, California
1989 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 10–0 California Encino, California
1990 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 4–2 California Lakewood, California
1991 Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico 8–2 California Fountain Valley, California
1992 Illinois Bourbonnais, Illinois 4–3 Texas Pasadena, Texas
1993 Illinois Joliet, Illinois 4–2 Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico
1994 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 6–1 Pennsylvania Chambersburg, Pennsylvania [36]
1995 Puerto Rico Bayamon, Puerto Rico 11–2 Maryland Hagerstown, Maryland
1996 Taiwan Tainan, Chinese Taipei 4–0 Indiana Evansville, Indiana
1997 California Danville, California 7–0 Ohio Hamilton, Ohio
1998 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 4–0 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania
1999 California Covina, California 9–1 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei
2000 Taiwan Taipei, Chinese Taipei 8–3 California West Covina, California
2001 Puerto Rico Ponce, Puerto Rico 10–4 Virginia Richmond, Virginia [37]
2002 California Norwalk, California 10–0 Puerto Rico Levittown, Puerto Rico [38]
2003 California Lakewood, California 4–3 Puerto Rico Humacao, Puerto Rico [39]
2004 Georgia (U.S. state) Marietta, Georgia 3–1 Hawaii Mililani, Hawaii [40]
2005 Taiwan Taichung, Chinese Taipei 2–1 California San Diego, California [41]
2006 Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico 4–2 California Simi Valley, California [42]
2007 Puerto Rico Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico 8–3 California Long Beach, California [43]
2008 California Long Beach, California 3–2 Taiwan Taichung, Chinese Taipei [44]
2009 Taiwan Taitung, Chinese Taipei 12–1 California Riverside/Victoria, California [45]
2010 Virginia Midlothian, Virginia 3–1 Japan West Tokyo, Japan [46]
2011 Texas Laredo, Texas 10–9 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei [47]
2012 California Long Beach, California 9–7 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei [48]
2013 Japan Okinawa, Japan 5–4 Mexico Los Mochis, Mexico [49]
2014 Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii 5–3 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei [50]
2015 Taiwan Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei 12–1 California San Bernardino, California [51]
2016 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei 12–2 Hawaii Maui, Hawaii [52]
2017 California Covina, California 3–1 South Korea Seoul, South Korea [53]
2018 Taiwan Taipei County, Chinese Taipei 3–1 California Long Beach, California [54]
2019 Taiwan Taipei City, Chinese Taipei 9–1 Michigan Bay County, Michigan [55]
2020 Not held [56]
2021 Texas Brownsville, Texas 11–10 Ohio Youngstown, Ohio [57]
2022 Taiwan New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei 4–1 Mexico Monterrey, Mexico [58]
2023 Japan Edogawa, Japan 8–2 Pennsylvania Washington, Pennsylvania [59]
Year Winner Score Runner–Up Ref.

Source:[14]
Note: In cases of conflicting records, contemporary news reports have been given priority.

Controversy

In the 2023 Pony Asia-Pacific Zone Championships held in Fukushima, Japan, a controversial decision was made, where the Japanese officials unilaterally revoked Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)'s Pony League World Series qualification after losing to Taiwan in the championship game. The reason for disqualification was the alleged use of unapproved bats by the Taiwanese team. However, the PONY league pre-approved the bats prior to each game with stickers. There have also never been complaints from other teams prior to the championship game. In the end, despite Taiwan gathering supports from the majority of the teams, including Hong Kong (1 team) and Mainland China (3 teams) who protested against the decision to disqualify Taiwan, the complaint was overruled by Japan, Philippines and Australia, where the two decision-making officials were from Japan and Philippines.[60]

The incident attracted widespread media attention in Taiwan due to the perceived lack of transparency and fairness. The Taoyuan City Government and Taiwan's Sports Administration immediately filed an official complaint to the PONY Baseball and Softball organization headquarters, and are waiting for a reply.[61][62]

Championship totals
The 2016 championship team from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)

By U.S. state or non-U.S. country. Updated through the 2023 championship (71 playings, 142 total appearances).

State / CountryWinsLossesAppearancesMost recent championship
California California2215372017
Taiwan Chinese Taipei[lower-alpha 2]115162022
Texas Texas56112021
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico73102007
Illinois Illinois4591993
Hawaii Hawaii3362014
South Korea South Korea3141990
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania2791955
Florida Florida2351976
North Carolina North Carolina2351968
Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia2022004
Michigan Michigan1341961
Japan Japan2242023
Mexico Mexico1231972
Indiana Indiana1121963
Massachusetts Massachusetts1121977
Virginia Virginia1122010
West Virginia West Virginia1011953
Ohio Ohio033—
Alabama Alabama022—
South Carolina South Carolina022—
Colorado Colorado011—
Maryland Maryland011—
Oklahoma Oklahoma011—
  • PONY Headquarters with Flag Plaza in view in foreground
    PONY Headquarters with Flag Plaza in view in foreground
  • PONY Headquarters dedication plaque, located on building entrance
    PONY Headquarters dedication plaque, located on building entrance
  • PONY Headquarters Main Hall / Museum
    PONY Headquarters Main Hall / Museum

See also

Notes
  1. Championship teams from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, are listed in Pony League World Series records under variant names: Taipei (2000), Taipei County (2016, 2018), Taipei City (2019), and New Taipei City (2022). Taipei City is the official name of the capital city, which is commonly known as Taipei. New Taipei City and Taipei County both refer to the "special municipality" where the capital city is located.
  2. Due to complicated relations with the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China—commonly known as Taiwan—is recognized by the name Chinese Taipei by a majority of international organizations, including PONY Baseball and Softball. News accounts may use Republic of China, Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei to refer to the same entity.

References
  1. "Abraham Key". pony.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  2. "About PONY". pony.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  3. Crawley, Dave. "Teens Flock To Play Ball In Pony League World Series (August 5, 2016)". KDKA-TV. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  4. "History Of Pony Baseball". ovpb.net. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  5. "FOAL 4U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. "SHETLAND 6U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  7. "PINTO 8U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  8. "MUSTANG 10U™ INFORMATION". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. "BRONCO 12U™ INFORMATION". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  10. "PONY 14U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  11. "COLT 16U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  12. "PALOMINO 19U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  13. "THOROBRED 23U™ LEAGUE". ponybbsb.freshdesk.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  14. "All-Time Scores". www.plws.org. Pony League World Series. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  15. "Pony League Field in Washington". The Daily Notes. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. August 15, 1968. p. 8. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  16. "PLWS Records". www.plws.org. Pony World Series. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
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  20. "Pony League Title Won By Fairmont". The Morning Herald. Hagerstown, Maryland. AP. August 22, 1953. p. 12. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  21. "Monongahela Wins PONY Title, 8-2". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 21, 1954. p. 9. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
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  23. "PONY Title Goes to Joliet". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 29, 1956. p. 20. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  24. "Texans Capture Pony Loop World Series". The Muncie Evening Press. Muncie, Indiana. AP. August 31, 1957. p. 8. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
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  27. "Orange Tips Denver 6-5 For Crown". Jacksonville Journal-Courier. Jacksonville, Illinois. August 29, 1971. p. 23. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
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  38. "It's All Over. It's All Norwalk!". WJPA. August 24, 2002. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  39. "Lakewood, CA 4, Humacao, PR 3". WJPA. August 16, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  40. "Saturday--Championship Day! | East Cobb, GA 3, Mililani, HI 1 FINAL!". WJPA. August 21, 2004. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  41. "Championship Saturday! | Chinese Taipei 2, San Diego, CA 1 FINAL!". WJPA. August 20, 2005. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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  44. "Long Beach is Walk-Off Winner!". WJPA. August 16, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  45. "Chinese Taipei Wins PONY Title". WJPA. August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  46. "Chesterfield County, VA--World Series Champs!". WJPA. August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  47. "Laredo Wins PONY World Championship". WJPA. August 20, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  48. "Long Beach Wins PONY Championship, 9-7!". WJPA. August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  49. "Okinawa 5, Los Mochis 4 | PONY League World Series Final". WJPA. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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  52. Osher, Wendy (August 10, 2016). "Maui Finishes Runner-Up in Pony League World Series". mauinow.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
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  54. Campbell, Luke (August 15, 2018). "Chinese Taipei, Tien shut down Long Beach to win 9th PLWS title". Observer–Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
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  56. Dugan, Chris (May 2, 2020). "Pony League World Series canceled for first time". Observer–Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  57. "Brownsville Wins Pony World Series Championship". KRGV-TV. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
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  59. "Bracket". observer-reporter.com. Observer Reporter. 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  60. Scanlan, Sean. "Taiwan team disqualified from Pony junior baseball championship after bat dispute". Taiwan News. Taiwan News. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  61. 謝, 靜雯. "小馬青少棒賽球棒違規遭取消資格 桃園市隊已提申訴". CNA. 中央通訊社. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  62. 蔡, 依珍. "棒子有怪聲遭取消小馬代表權 張善政：努力不容抹滅". 中時新聞網. China Times Group. Retrieved 3 July 2023.

40°9′19.28″N 80°16′58.90″W

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