Current season, competition or edition: 2023 MLW Wiffle Ball Season | |
| Sport | Wiffle Ball |
|---|---|
| Founded | Major League Wiffle Ball (MLW), 2009 |
| Inaugural season | 2010 |
| Commissioner | Kyle Schultz |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries | United States (8 teams) |
| Headquarters | Brighton, Michigan |
| Most recent champion(s) | Metro Magic (1st title) |
| Most titles | Western Wildcats (6 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | |
| Official website | MLW.com |
Major League Wiffle Ball (MLW) is a wiffle ball league that operates on YouTube. MLW Wiffle Ball consists of eight teams, that are divided equally between the National League and the American League. All eight teams play their games at The Meadows, which is located in Brighton, Michigan.
The league was founded in 2009 in Brighton, Michigan by brothers Kyle, Brendan, and Daniel Schultz and their neighbors Tommy and Rachel Coughlin. They played their games originally at the Schultz's house in their front yard and called the field Cultz Field, a combination of the two families' last names.[1][2]
The league also holds several tournaments across the country for fans to play in, with the chance to enter MLW via a yearly entry draft. The league holds an annual tournament in their hometown called the "Wiffle in the Mitten" and an annual tournament in Illinois called the "Midwest Slugfest". The league has hosted tournaments in New York, Pennsylvania, Boston, Texas, Phoenix, and Long Island. They've also played their league games in minor league baseball stadiums such as Toledo, Ohio, home of the Toledo Mudhens, and St. Louis, home of the Gateway Grizzlies. MLW has played games partnered with several MLB teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. The 2022 World Series was played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, although it was closed to the public. The largest attendance in MLW history was the 2023 St. Louis Series in Sauget, Illinois.
Gameplay Style
MLW plays their scheduled series in a three-game series with each game being three innings, for a total of nine innings over the entire series. The fielding team is made up of three defenders: the pitcher and two fielders. The strike zone is very different from baseball as there is a physical strike zone for pitches to hit. The ball does not need to cross what would be considered a "normal strike zone" but instead, just needs to hit the physical, rectangular zone. The league also allows pegging base runners. Along with this, the league doesn't have catchers, so in order to record an out at home, the ball must reach either the backstop or hit the metal strike zone before the player touches home plate.
Past Winners
2010: Western Wildcats beat Eastern Eagles (3-1)
2011: Western Wildcats beat Central Cardinals (3-0)
2012: Western Wildcats beat Northern Nighthawks (3-2)
2013: Central Cardinals beat Western Wildcats (3-0)
2014: Western Wildcats beat Eastern Eagles (3-2)
2015: Western Wildcats beat Eastern Eagles (3-2)
2016: Eastern Eagles beat Western Wildcats (3-1)
2017: Midwest Mallards beat Coastal Cobras (3-2)
2018: Western Wildcats beat Midwest Mallards (3-1)
2019: Pacific Predators beat Eastern Eagles (3-0)
2020: Great Lakes Gators beat Western Wildcats (3-1)
2021: Downtown Diamondbacks beat Western Wildcats (3-2)
2022: Downtown Diamondbacks beat Coastal Cobras (3-0)
2023: Metro Magic beat Eastern Eagles (3-2)
World Series records
Timeline References
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