Dual-threat pitcher Lai Cheng-Xi stunned Venezuela with 12 punch-outs in Chinese Taipei's 4-1 win in the 2024 Little League World Series international final.
There was little the Latin American side could do against Cheng-Xi, who, at one point, recorded six strikeouts in a row. Chinese Taipei scored twice on wild pitches from Venezuela's Luis Yepez, finishing with four runs on the day.
Venezuela was only able to score when Cheng-Xi left the mound late in the sixth inning, but it wasn't enough to block the Asia-Pacific representative from making it to the championship game.
The team from Taoyuan City will take on the winner of Florida versus Texas for the title. Chinese Taipai has won 17 LLWS tournaments but is seeking its first trophy in Williamsport since 1996.
The Sporting News tracked the live scores, results, and highlights from Chinese Taipei vs. Venezuela in the 2024 Little League World Series international final.
MORE: Updated bracket, results, how to watch LLWS games live
Little League World Series live updates, highlights from Chinese Taipei vs. Venezuela
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | F | |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
(All times Eastern)
Sixth inning
Chinese Taipei 4, Venezuela 1
2:52 p.m. — Wei-Che fields a grounder from Simón Vicheria and tosses it to first to catch the batter, marking the team's third out and sending Chinese Taipei to the championship game with a 4-1 win.
2:50 p.m. — Right fielder Chi Wei-Che replaces Cheng-Xi and is set to face Santiago Bello. The new Chinese Taipei pitcher allows Bello to knock one toward first where he is caught before reaching the bag. Nevertheless, Pérez reaches home from third and Venezuela is on the board for the first time all game.
2:45 p.m. — Venezuela advances runners to second and third after Cheng-Xi allows a hit, and the play marks the end of the pitcher's day. He leaves the game with 12 Ks on his back and two runners in scoring position.
2:43 p.m. — The Chinese Taipei manager makes a mound visit before Cheng-Xi faces Biarreta. After forcing a full count, the pitcher strikes out Biarreta on his 84th pitch of the game to get his team two outs away from the championship.
2:42 p.m. — Cheng-Xi returns to finish out what has been a fantastic performance so far against Yepez. Unfortunately for Chinese Taipei, Cheng-Xi walks Yepez with seven pitches remaining.
2:37 p.m. — Hu Yen-Chun gets on base with a line drive that drops before center field, but his teammate grounds into short where Yen-Chun gets thrown out before reaching second to end the half inning. Venezuela now has three outs to tie it up at four before Chinese Taipei takes a trip to the championship game.
2:36 p.m. — Yepez makes a phenomenal play near the left field wall, catching a foul ball hit by Chinese Taipei for Venezuela's second out.
2:35 p.m. — Yu Chia-Jui steps up for Chinese Taipei in the sixth and final inning as Pérez takes the mound. Chia-Jui rockets one to the outfield but Durán is there to make the catch for the first out.
Fifth inning
Chinese Taipei 4, Venezuela 0
2:29 p.m. — Cheng-Xi gives up his second hit of the inning to Carrasquel, who line drives one to short, but not before the pitcher gets a slight touch on it to slow it down. Chinese Taipei flips the ball to second to catch Freitez and then Venezuela challenges the call, which is later confirmed as the out to end the inning.
2:28 p.m. — Mora is Venezuela's third hitter up, and he strikes out swinging for Cheng-Xi's 11th K.
2:26 p.m. — Freitez takes on Cheng-Xi next, and the Venezuelan splits second and third with a base hit to give Venezuela a chance to get on the board.
2:24 p.m. — Cheng-Xi is back for more with 10 strikeouts already on the day in only 62 pitches. He faces Jesús Diaz first who drives one to right center field right into the waiting glove of Chiu Wei-Che.
2:19 p.m. — Pérez takes on Ciou Zhi-Kai next with two outs on the board, who launches one to right field straight into the hands of Zarraga who ends the top of the inning.
2:18 p.m. — Chiu Wei-Che is the next batter to face Pérez, and he launches one into center field where Yepez and Carrasquel collide trying to catch the ball. Neither can locate it and Bo-Wei rounds the bases while Wei-Che reaches second amid the fiasco.
2:17 p.m. — Chen Bo-Wei is the third hitter for Chinese Taipei in the fifth, and Pérez allows a hit toward deep left field that drops with enough time for Bo-Wei to make it to first.
2:16 p.m. — Yu Teng-Hao steps up next and drives one deep to center field, but Samuel Carrasquel is there to make the play.
2:15 p.m. — Pérez tajes on Lin Chun-Yi, who pops it up to Jonathan Landaeta in the infield for the first out of the fifth.
Fourth inning
Chinese Taipei 3, Venezuela 0
2:08 p.m. — Cheng-Xi gets his ninth strikeout of the day on Beiker Zarraga before facing Yepez. The pitcher stacks on his 10th K after the fact, getting Yepez to end the inning.
2:06 p.m. — Venezuela gets its first base runner of the day and Cheng-Xi gives up his first hit as the Chinese Taipei first baseman fails to catch the runner before he hits the bag.
2:05 p.m. — Cheng-Xi also stays on the mound, this time facing Joshua Durán looking for his sixth strikeout in a row. He gets it with Durán swinging, continuing his dominance.
1:58 p.m. — Chinese Taipei's next hitter pops out to Lucena to end the half inning, keeping the Latin American representatives within range.
1:56 p.m. — Next is Cheng-Xi himself, who grounds into Yepez. The pitcher turned shortstop threw Cheng-Xi out at first for Venezuela's second out.
1:55 p.m. — Pérez remains on the mound for Venezuela as he faces Lin Sheng-Kai, who he strikes out confidently.
Third inning
Chinese Taipei 3, Venezuela 0
1:50 p.m. — Cheng-Xi makes quick work of Simón Vicheria as well for a 1-2-3 inning and his seventh strikeout of the game.
1:48 p.m. — Santiago Bello faces Cheng-Xi next but the fierce pitcher catches him in three straight pitches for his fourth strikeout in a row.
1:46 p.m. — Cheng-Xi returns to the mound for Chinese Taipei on top of four strikeouts so far through two innings. He faces Abraham Lucena to start the bottom of the third and makes that five for his first out.
1:42 p.m. — Peng Yi-Yen is struck out by Pérez to end the top of the third after a two run effort from Chinese Taipei increases its lead by two.
1:40 p.m. — Bases still loaded, Hu Yen-Chun steps up to the plate to add more runs on the board. He grounds into an second base who throws it to home and keeps Chinese Taipei from tacking on a fourth point.
1:37 p.m. — Liao Hsuan-Hao is up next for Chinese Taipei with bases still loaded when Pérez throws a wild pitch. Wei-Che runs in from third and gives his team a three run advantage.
1:36 p.m. — Yepez stays in the game at shortstop with Pérez on the mound facing Yu Chia-Jui. Unfortunately, Pérez is unable to switch the momentum and walks Cia-Jui which gives Chinese Taipei its second run of the game with one out on the board.
1:34 p.m. — Yepez is visibly frustrated on the mound again after walking Ciou Zhi-Kai into bases loaded. Carrasquel comes out again from the dugout, this time to replace Yepez with shortstop José Pérez.
1:32 p.m. — Yepez walks his fourth and fifth batters in Chen Bo-Wei and Chiu Wei-Che, reminiscent of how his first inning looked.
1:30 p.m. — Through two innings, Yepez has given up one hit and one run, struck out four and walked three. He almost gives up another hit to Yu Teng-Hao but makes a great play by catching the hitter's line drive for the first out of the inning.
Second inning
Chinese Taipei 1, Venezuela 0
1:23 p.m — Diego Biarreta strikes out swinging on a slider from Cheng-Xi to end the inning with Chinese Taipei maintaining a 1-0 lead.
1:22 p.m. — Jose Pérez gets his turn next and Cheng-Xi continues to dominate, striking out the Venezuelan looking.
1:20 p.m. — Samuel Carrasquel is the first to step up for Venezuela against-Cheng Xi, but he grounds into second and is thrown out at first.
1:15 p.m. — Yepez didn't mind Jie-En grabbing a hit off him because he promptly struck out the next hitter and ended the inning to keep Venezuela within one run of Chinese Taipei.
1:14 p.m. — Zhuang Jie-En smashes a pitch between right and center to become the first Chinese Taipei player on base so far in the inning with two outs on the board.
1:12 p.m. — Yepez takes on Cheng-Xi, who is hitting as well as pitching, next and strikes him out swinging as well for back-to-back Ks, much improved from his performance last inning.
1:11 p.m. — Lin Sheng-Kai is the first batter up in the second inning. He shows bunt but takes two strikes looking before Yepez catches him swinging for his first out.
First inning
Chinese Taipei 1, Venezuela 0
1:06 p.m. — Cheng Xi earns his second K in a row by catching Mora swinging to end the inning, keeping Chinese Taipei up 1-0.
1:04 p.m. — Cheng Xi strikes out Freitez for the second out of the half inning and Willian's Mora comes up to the plate.
1:00 p.m. — Venezuela gets a runner on first and then a force out moves him to second with Jhonson Freitez at bat and Lai Cheng Xi on the mound.
12:57 p.m. — With runners on first and third, the next Asia-Pacific hitter popped out to end the inning. Yepez was visibly frustrated despite only allowing one run.
12:56 p.m. — Chiu Wei-Che scores after a wild pitch from Yepez to put Chinese Taipei up 1-0 with two outs on the board. Yepez then walks the next hitter, but cheers of "si se puede" reverberate from the crowd to cheer the pitcher on.
12:55 p.m. — Peng Yi-Yen strikes out on a 3-2 count but Ciou Zhi-Kai steals second to put another runner in scoring position for Chinese Taipei.
12:51 p.m. — Yu Chia-Jui pops one out to center field but the throw doesn't get there in time to stop Chiu Wei-Che from advancing from second to third. Chinese Taipei has a runner in scoring position with one out on the board and Peng Yi-Yen up to bat.
12:50 p.m. — That's back-to-back walks for Yepez and Venezuela manager Domningo Carrasquel takes a visit to the mound early.
12:47 p.m. — Yepez walks Chinese Taipei's first hitter on a 2-3 count.
12:35 p.m. — Luis Yepez will start on the mound for Venezuela today and Lai Cheng Xi for Chinese Taipei. The Asia-Pacific team has developed an ERA throughout the LLWS below 0.30.
12:30 p.m. — It's time for some baseball! The clash between Chinese Taipei and Venezuela is about to begin from Lamade Stadium.
Pregame
12:25 p.m. — Five minutes to go before the international final kicks off on ABC!
12:15 p.m. — Odds from Bovada have Chinese Taipei favored at -160 over Venezuela at +120. Here are some recent Sporting News posts on both teams to entertain before first pitch:
- Inside Venezuela LLWS manager Domingo Carrasquel's MLB history, family tree
- Breaking down Venezuela's Little League World Series roster
- Complete guide to Little League World Series pitch counts
12:10 p.m. — As a reminder of how both teams got to this point, Chinese Taipei is undefeated in the LLWS so far, and Venezuela enters the game with a 4-1 record in the tournament.
A team from Chinese Taipei has won the LLWS 17 times prior to this year, but the last time that happened was 1996. Venezuela last won it in 2000, but the country only bears two titles to its name.
12:00 p.m. — We are half an hour away from first pitch in the 2024 LLWS international final between Chinese Taipei and Venezuela. The Latin American representatives are already fired up in the dugout as the game approaches.
What time does Chinese Taipei vs Venezuela start today?
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 24
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
The international portion of the LLWS bracket will conclude with the final on Saturday, Aug. 24.
First pitch is scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. ET from Lamade Stadium.
What channel is Chinese Taipei vs. Venezuela on today?
- TV channel: ABC
- Live stream: Fubo
The international final of the 2024 Little League World Series will air live on ABC. It is the first of the three championship games that will be broadcast on the channel.
For the fans looking to stream the action, live streaming the game is available on ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
STREAM: Watch the Little League World Series live with Fubo
Little League World Series rosters
Here are the rosters for Chinese Taipei and Venezuela, who are meeting for a spot in the Little League World Series championship final:
Chinese Taipei
| Number | Player | Pos. | B/T |
| 7 | Chen Bo-Wei | SS | R/R |
| 8 | Ciou Zhi-Kai | P/CF | L/L |
| 14 | Chiu Wei-Che | P/RF | R/R |
| 15 | Hu Yen-Chun | 1B | R/R |
| 16 | Liao Hsuan-Hao | P/RF | R/R |
| 17 | Yu Teng-Hao | P/3B | R/R |
| 18 | Peng Yi-Yen | 2B | L/R |
| 19 | Lai Cheng-Xi | P/RF | R/R |
| 21 | Lin Chun-Yi | LF | R/R |
| 22 | Lin Sheng-Kai | P/RF | R/R |
| 23 | Yu Chia-Jui | P/C/2B | R/R |
| 25 | Zhuang Jie | 1B/LF | R/R |
Coaching staff: Lee Cheng-Ta (manager), Kuo Hsuan-Ming, Kan Yi-Che
Venezuela
| Number | Player | Pos. | B/T |
| 8 | Beiker Zarraga | P/OF | R/R |
| 9 | Jonathan LAndaeta | P/IF | R/R |
| 10 | Jesús Díaz | C | R/R |
| 13 | Simón Vicheria | P/IF | R/R |
| 14 | Santiago Bello | OF | R/R |
| 15 | Joshua Durán | OF/C | R/R |
| 16 | José Pérez | P/IF | R/R |
| 17 | Samuel Carrasquel | P/OF | L/L |
| 18 | Luis Yepez | P/IF | R/R |
| 19 | Diego Biarreta | P/IF | L/R |
| 21 | Jhonson Freitez | P/OF | R/R |
| 22 | Willian's Mora | P/IF | R/R |
| 23 | Abraham Lucena | P/IF | R/R |
Coaching staff: Domingo Carrasquel (manager), Diego Rodriguez, Euclides Rivero