HONOLULU — These kids were some kind of hit.
Just how popular were the Honolulu Little League All-Stars during their run to the Little League World Series title? Mayor Rick Blangiardi had to stop inviting people to come to Thursday’s championship parade through downtown for concern that the open-air event was growing too big.
“We started calling people. And I didn’t know what the response would be, if people would say, ‘well, let me think about it, I’ll get back (to you).’” Blangiardi told a crowd of a few hundred at Honolulu Hale. “That wasn’t the case. Every person we called said, ‘yes, I’m in, what do you need?’”
From a visit to Washington Place to see Gov. David Ige, to Aala Park and the parade along South King Street to the Hale where Blangiardi waited, the 14 players, their coaches and families, and several other local youth baseball teams were celebrated in grand fashion on a searing day.
The parade featured seven different marching bands, the U.S. Marine Corps color guard, and past LLWS champs to boot.
Finally, bringing up the rear, came the main event. Honolulu players rode atop a red fire engine, a fitting symbol of the red-hot run the 11- and 12-year-olds went on to advance through local competition, then through regional play in San Bernardino, Calif., and finally to a 20-team pool of the best in the world in Williamsport, Pa.
They obliterated the competition there to a degree rarely seen, tallying 60 runs with only five scored against them in six ESPN-broadcast LLWS games; four ended via the mercy rule, including the 13-3, four-inning final against International champion Curacao on Aug. 28.
Honolulu Little League was the fourth LLWS champion from Hawaii, and second in the last four editions of the tournament.
The players wore their blue-and-yellow West Region uniforms Thursday, the same ones they played in once they reached Williamsport.
Outfielder Kama Angell, who was 11-for-18 at the plate in the LLWS, said the teams that marched Thursday were a representation of what Hawaii can offer on the big stage.
Then, the 12-year-old put the team’s month-long mainland journey in perspective.
“I think we had each other’s backs and we competed,” Angell said. “I think we were a good baseball team, but we really supported and appreciated each other. We loved each other. We were family.”
Honolulu ace Jaron Lancaster, 12, who pitched his team past Curacao in the final, said his favorite part of the day was touring Ige’s mansion.
“I actually didn’t think it was going to be this many people. But once you see the people, you realize what you’ve done for the Hawaiian Islands,” Lancaster said.
His father, James, a mason by trade, was amazed at the parade turnout on a weekday. Along the route, he noticed a sign that read, “We Ditched School For You Guys.”
The day capped a summer of heavy investment of time and resources in his son’s adventure.
“You know, it was a lot. It was overwhelming at first, but at the end of the day, it as all worth it,” James Lancaster said. “The expenses, the long days out there. We were out there 30 days, never came home. We have a good support system, so it ended up working out.”
Upon arrival to a cheering crowd at Honolulu Hale, the players milled about inside for several minutes with well-wishers and media members while the band Rebel Souljahz entertained out front.
Then, Blangiardi emerged with the team and presented Gerald Oda, the manager of the 2018 and 2022 champion Honolulu squads, a wooden key to the city. It was just the third such honor given during Blangiardi’s tenure as mayor. They’ve all gone to sports figures; Olympic surfing gold medalist and world champion Carissa Moore and two-time NCAA men’s volleyball champion coach Charlie Wade were the others.
Blangiardi decreed Sept. 8 to be “Honolulu Little League Baseball World Series Championship Day.”
An “overwhelmed” Oda, as he has done throughout his rise to one of the state’s most popular sports figures, gathered himself and gave all the credit to his players.
Just before taking the podium at Honolulu Hale, he told Spectrum News that his approach to leading the two LLWS title teams was the same.
“We always tell the kids, just play hard from the first pitch to the last pitch, and don’t worry about the outcome,” Oda said. “No matter what, it’s going to be a great day.”
And it was. The lei-clad Honolulu players were presented with individualized, engraved Louisville Slugger bats from Blangiardi. State and U.S. Congress members presented the team with certificates, as did the Honolulu City Council.
A short time later, they sat down in a row under a tent fronting Honolulu Hale to give autographs.
Many of those same players will now compete against each other on various intermediate school teams, and later, high school. For example, Angell is at Kamehameha and Lancaster Mid-Pacific Institute. Some may reunite on 13U teams.
But Thursday wasn’t only about the Honolulu Little League squad. Notably, Kado Baseball won the 13U Babe Ruth World Series on Aug. 19. Its players rode a trolley near the end of the parade.
Kado Baseball manager Donny Kadokawa said his team’s motto was, “Do unto others and put the next guy in front of you, and do the little things and we should come out victorious.”
They did, beating Pittsfield, Mass., 5-1 in the championship at Glen Allen, Va.
“This is awesome that the state of Hawaii, the mayor, the governor, acknowledge the hard work and effort, not just the players, but the parents put into the experience,” Kadokawa said. “It’s awesome to see the community support these kids and their achievements.”
Some more photos from the day:
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.