It was a celebration befitting world champions: Major streets in downtown Honolulu were closed. The Royal Hawaiian Band arrived in gleaming white uniforms with red and gold sashes, and people filled the sidewalks lining King Street as a motorcade of police officers wearing yellow lei and flashing blue lights kicked off a parade for the Honolulu Little League All Stars, who made Hawaii proud last month by beating South Korea to become the 2018 Little League World Series champions.
Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell threw shakas ahead of a bright-red fire truck that carried the 14 baseball teammates and their three coaches several blocks from Tamarind Park to Honolulu Hale. The boys beamed as family, friends and fans cheered and the band played Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
Joining the march were some of the players’ classmates from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, Hawaii Baptist Academy, Niu Valley Middle School and Saint Louis School.
This is the third time Hawaii has won the Little League World Series. Previous champions hailed from Ewa Beach, in 2005, and Waipahu, in 2008.
This year’s All Stars team defeated South Korea, 3-0, on Aug. 26 in South Williamsport, Pa. It was the first shutout in a title game since 2002. Hawaii bested Peachtree Little League from Georgia by an identical score to win the national crown.
After the parade, on the lawn at Honolulu Hale, bands played, people feasted on pork and rice, shave ice and hot dogs donated by local businesses, and the Little Leaguers signed autographs with a coolness that masked their youth.
Hawaii’s political leaders gave effusive speeches about what the team’s win meant to the residents of Hawaii.
“Thank you so much for being humble, thank you so much for being ambassadors of aloha, but most importantly, thank you so much for being the inspiration for all of us in the islands to really do our best to be part of the team,” Ige told the players who joined him on a stage.
He also joked about his own success in youth baseball in Pearl City. “I was terrific back then, more than 50 years ago,” said Ige, noting to laughs that his team won a T-ball championship.
Caldwell said the Honolulu Little League All Stars showed the value of hard work and focus.
“They kept their eyes on the prize. And they worked as a team — as a team supporting each other — from the smallest, skinniest guy to ‘Big Sexy,’” said Caldwell, referring to the nickname of Sean Yamaguchi, a charismatic player who has attracted thousands of Instagram followers.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz spoke during the celebration about how Hawaii residents were glued to coverage of the championship games and about his own frustration at trying to follow one of the games while on a flight with intermittent Wi-Fi service.
He explained “the intensity of feeling” toward the team because “you guys were at one point representing Honolulu, and then eventually representing Hawaii, and then representing the United States of America, and then beating everybody,” Schatz said. “You guys just mean a lot to us and that’s why you have a parade, that’s why you have this huge crowd on a Saturday.”
Other players on the 2018 Little League World Series Champions are Bruce Boucher, Kory Chu, Tanner Chun, John Dela Cruz, Ka‘olu Holt, Aukai Kea, Mana Lau Kong, Chandler Murray, Hunter Nishina, Taylin Oana, Caleb Okada, Jace Souza and Zachary Won.
