On Friday, the 121st World Series will commence between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers will be looking to win their second straight title, while the Blue Jays aim to win their first since 1993.
Obviously, Game 1 will be defined by who comes out on top between Blake Snell and Trey Yesavage. The one who will be calling balls and strikes behind home plate will be longtime umpire Will Little.
After six postseason appearances, Little will be taking part in his first World Series, per Umpire Scorecards. It turns out that Little has been one of the fairest umpires over the past decade.
He has consistently ranked high in call accuracy. For three seasons, Little was ranked No. 1 in 2015, 2016, and 2018. So that bodes well for both the Dodgers and Blue Jays in terms of getting a trustworthy presence on the mound.
According to Baseball Reference, Little worked on other prominent baseball tournaments. Among those tournaments were the World Baseball Classic in 2013, 2017, and 2023. In 2013, he began his MLB career as a fill-in, before becoming a full-time umpire in 2015.
Little, 41, is a native of Fall Branch, Tennessee. At Milligan College, he played baseball while also studying biology.
Let's hope Will Little doesn't become the new Don Denkinger
Little beginning his first World Series comes forty years after one of the most notorious moments in baseball history involving an umpire. It came in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.
Up 3-2 in the series, the Cardinals were three outs away from winning the title with a 2-1 lead in the 9th inning. Todd Worrell was on the mound, Jack Clark was at first base, and Royals Jorge Orta was at the plate.
Orta had hit a blooper to the right side as he was charging to first base. Clark threw the ball to Worrell who was covering the bag. Orta stepped on the bag and first base umpire Don Denkinger called him safe.
Although, the replay clearly shows that the ball was in Worrell's glove before Orta touched the base. Afterward, the Royals came back to win 3-2 and then trounced St. Louis 10-0 in Game 7.
So Little better get his calls right so that history doesn't repeat itself.
