A Little League Series First: 2 No-Hitters on the Same Day

Philip Olson and Wu Chun-Liang, 12-year-old boys who live half a world apart, made history together at the Little League World Series.

Olson pitched a no-hitter and belted a bases-loaded double to lead Sarasota, Fla., to a 5-0 victory over Brunswick, Md. in Wednesday’s first game.

Then Wu pitched another no-hitter, striking out 12, walking one and not letting a ball out of the infield as Tainan, Taiwan, routed Valleyfield, Quebec, 26-0.

Tainan, which collected a series-record-tying 21 hits off four pitchers, will play Maracaibo, Venezuela in a semifinal game while Tucson plays Sarasota.

There have been 11 no-hitters in 40 World Series, but not two in one day, according to Little League spokesman Steve Keener.

Olson, a bit taller than most Little League pitchers at 5-feet 7-inches, said there was nothing difficult about pitching his no-hitter.

“I just throw the ball and listen to the manager,” Olson said.

Olson said was never nervous about the outcome or his no-hitter.

“Usually in the fifth or sixth inning, our team scores some runs, so why worry?” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about the no-hitter. We just think about getting outs.”

Chen Ho-Wen homered on the fourth pitch of the game and added a three-run shot in the fifth. Yen Hsin-ho had a solo homer in the fourth and finished with three RBIs.

The Taiwanese team sent 13 batters to the plate in the first against starter Pascal Shiasson, scoring seven runs. They batted around in the second, scoring five, and sent up another 12 in an eight-run fifth.

The team came within one run of the record of 27, set by a Tainan team against Tampa in 1973, and tied the team’s record for hits.

Valleyfield never came close to a hit against Wu. Only six batters hit the ball fair, two grounding weakly to second, and four who were thrown out trying to bunt.

Sarasota’s Olson, a right-hander with a slow windup and hard fastball, allowed only one Brunswick baserunner, on a second-inning walk, and just one ball beyond the infield.

He struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced and finished with 10 strikeouts.