Steven Felix stepped off the mound and walked straight to his opponent—not to celebrate, but to check on him. Curaçao had the Little League World Series title within reach. They were just one out away from achieving the feat. But in the middle of that final inning, Felix put the results aside and created one of the most beautiful moments.
After his pitch drilled the Nevada batter, he stepped off the mound. The 12-year-old went straight to his opponent to check on him.
“The beauty of pure humanity right here,” read the caption from the viral X post by InAllKindsOfWeather.com. “What a poetic way to end a great tournament, reminding the world that we are people first, and whatever else we do second.”
Curaçao was leading 11-2 in the sixth. There were two outs already. Felix just needed to retire one more batter to win the championship. When Nevada’s Hudson Cowley walked in, there were runners on first and second base. But Curaçao had little to worry about.
Felix looked focused on the game as he threw a 70-mph fastball. But it hit Cowley on his left arm. Crying in pain, he started running towards first base, holding his arm, to load all the bases. Right at that moment, the game became a little less of a concern for Felix.
Cowley reached the base, but the pain didn’t allow him to stay still. He walked past the base, swinging his arm left and right, hoping the pain would fade. The first base coach was accompanying him while checking if he would be able to continue.
The youngster started removing his gloves and made it back to first base. Felix, noticing the whole thing from his spot, stepped off.
He walked right to him, and the duo engaged in a low-five and apologized for the incident. Only after the pitcher realized that the opponent was ready to continue, he made it back to the mound.
One pop-out later, Curaçao became the World Series champion.
While it was a huge feat for the tiny nation, Felix’s gesture stole a significant part of the spotlight. And it reminds us of the handshake between the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves players following the Little League Classic last Sunday.
The Braves defeated the Brewers 4-2. But before walking away from the field after the game, both teams formed a line to shake hands with each opponent.
While MLB teams don’t engage in a customary handshake line pre- or postgame, the two teams did so to show that the game is much more than just the final score. It was a joint attempt by MLB and MLBPA to promote sportsmanship and humanity among the young players. Felix’s gesture toward his opponent established that the little leaguers learned the right thing.
It made Curaçao’s triumph all the more special, especially after the strict diet, sleep routine, and discipline for the last two weeks.
Curaçao ended their championship drought after two decades
The tiny nation from South America has a population of 185,493, according to recent reports. And the little leaguers from that little country managed to win the LLWS for the second time.
They first achieved the feat in 2004. They ended their 22-year championship drought by defeating the U.S. champions 11-2, Paseo Verde Little League from Henderson, Nevada.
And what a dominance they displayed.
Juriënsly De Windt and Shardijon De Lanoi drove in three runs each. De Windt was also the starter for the winning side.
He allowed two runs over three innings.
Giendry Ryan and Felix finished it in style without letting the Nevada batters score any more runs. Ryan struck out four batters over 2.1 innings. Felix wrapped it up by retiring the final batter as Ryan safely gloved the pop-up in the sixth.
“Every kid [will eat] McDonald’s,” Curaçao coach Railison Gijsbertha said after the huge triumph.
He was simply overjoyed with his boys and how their hard work finally paid off. And the team saw a significant rise in popularity over the course of the tournament.
“When we went to the shop, we saw people from the States were buying our stuff,” Gijsbertha proudly shared. “Our team is a good team, a great team, and when they ask us to sign a ball, we do that.”
While Nevada became a runner-up in consecutive years, losing to Taiwan in 2025, they had plenty of reason to celebrate.
They suffered a 7-0 defeat last year. But Carsynn Meyer became the first girl to play for the U.S. in the series. The Nevada youngster was also the first girl to record a hit in the U.S. Championship when Nevada beat Ohio on Saturday. While she went 0-for-2 against Curaçao, 26 girls have participated in the series after her debut. She has achieved one more feat.
Carsynn became the first girl to participate in an LLWS title game since Sayaka Tsushima did so with Japan in 1998.
Unfortunately, their unbeaten run in the US bracket came to a halt with a defeat. But they will surely take home experience and possibilities. And one of their fondest memories will be the gesture shown by the Curaçao pitcher.