The first person to congratulate Washington's Eli Jones on his LLWS no-hitter was the opposing coach
Washington pitcher Eli Jones had himself a night to remember at the Little League World Series on Saturday.
The 12-year-old from Sammamish, Wash., threw the first Little League World Series no-hitter since 1980, shutting down the team from Palm City, Fla., 1-0, in an elimination game. Jones also drove in that only run of the game.
It was the kind of effort that everyone had to recognize as objectively awesome, but still, you have to love the sportsmanship from Florida coach Mark Rodgers.
After Jones sealed the no-hitter on a fly out to left field, Rodgers made his way to the young pitcher. He was the first person to congratulate Jones on the epic game.
Eli Jones throws a no-hitter in the LLWS…
1st person to congratulate him?
The opposing coach. pic.twitter.com/ZjFt0froCt— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 22, 2021
That’s exactly what the Little League World Series should be about — win or lose. Great on Rodgers to set an excellent example after his team got eliminated.
A no-hitter for Eli Jones to seal a 1-0 victory! #LLWS pic.twitter.com/t6yaaJBRev
— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 22, 2021
Jones threw 77 pitches in the complete game, no-hitter. Washington will play on Monday in another elimination game.