As Pearland Little League won its fourth game at the Little League World Series on Wednesday night, a man from the Houston area who’s won it all was there to cheer them on.
Bill Martin played on the Houston Little League team that won the World Series in 1950, which was his first trip to Williamsport.
“You have a lot of memories that come to you when you get up here,” he said. “When you’re 12 years old and you get into this kind of a situation, you don’t forget it.”
Little League hasn’t forgotten Martin, either.
He threw the series’ first no-hitter on record the year his team won the championship.
His wife, Freda, wears his championship medal as a necklace at the tournament.
“It’s a privilege to wear this,” she said. “I love sports and so I begged him to come in 2013.”
63 years after Martin’s championship win, Bill returned to Williamsport for this first time.
“After that, I was sold on Little League. I love the respect of the young people,” Freda Martin said.
They both lived in the Houston area for about 50 years, and they’ve made the trip back to Pennsylvania every year for the tournament since 2013.
Bill Martin’s uniform and team photo are now on display in the World of Little League Museum near Lamade Stadium.
On Wednesday night, the Martins sat behind home plate – where they always do at the tournament – to cheer on the Pearland All Stars.
“It’s pretty amazing to have those guys come back all these years later,” Pearland manager Aaron Cummings said. “I told our boys, ‘Think about that – I mean, these guys are in their 80s, mid 80s, and they’re still proud of this.’”
The Martins are even prouder this year.
“A Houston team is a thrill to my heart,” Freda Martin said.
Pearland Little League will play one more elimination game on Thursday night against a team from Tennessee. The team that wins will earn a spot in the U.S. Championship game against Hawaii on Saturday afternoon.