William Tamkin’s hitting and Tanner Gottlieb’s pitching during the June 4 championship game of the Major Division of the Malibu Little League at Bluffs Park helped carry the Phillies to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Red Sox.
Tamkin finished with a remarkable stat line: a 2-run home run; a walk-off RBI double to bring home the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning; 4 RBIs; the game’s winning pitcher.
Gottlieb threw five innings of relief allowing no earned runs on three hits while striking out three Red Sox batters. He also contributed an RBI single in the decisive sixth inning. The two players formed a devastating one-two punch on the game’s biggest stage for little leaguers.
“Two 11-year-olds were the stars of the game,” Phillies Coach Len Simonian said. “Since both are 11 years old they will be back next season. That’s pretty impressive.”
Tamkin, a student at Webster Elementary School, and Gottlieb, who attends Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, will also be a part of the 11-year-old Malibu Little League All-Star team that begins play soon.
“He’s brought us so much joy,” said Steve Tamkin, William’s father. “With the guidance of his grandpa [Mike Bernardo] who was a little league coach for many years, he’s got a lot of ability and a lot of heart. We are very blessed.”
“My heart was out there on the mound with him,” said Jeff Gottlieb, Tanner’s dad. “He’s cool and collected up there. He knows what his job is to do. He practices a lot and works hard. I’m proud of my son.”
Simonian had a talented team all season as the Phillies finished 13-4. On this afternoon, the duo of Tamkin and Gottlieb brought home the title for all of their teammates to celebrate.
“William loves baseball. You can’t get him off the field,” Simonian said. “I’m happy for him because he has been working really hard. He’s been working hard on his hitting and he has improved.”
“Tanner did a great job for us. He was just phenomenal,” Simonian added. “To come in that early and pitch that well when he wasn’t expecting to was wonderful.”
By Dick Dornan