And given the sometimes questionable influence of parents in sports, you can probably double the sense of anxiety when the pitcher is also the coach's son.

But when Oregon coach Joel Jensen strode on to the diamond to tell his son Isaiah his time was up during a Little League World Series consolation clash against Italy, he delivered the bad news with a heart-warming twist.

The LLWS, for children aged 11-13, is a big deal, played in stadiums with capacity up to 45,000 and broadcast worldwide on ESPN. Some games have attracted audiences of more than five million viewers in the US alone.

Wired for sound and with Oregon leading 6-0, Joel let Isaiah down in the most wonderfully gentle way.

"I just came out to tell you how much I love you...as a dad and a player," Joel said.

"This is your last hitter. Cheer up, have some fun and come right after."

Young Isaiah took the message stoically, retired the next batter and handed the ball over to a reliever who steered Oregon to a 6-2 win.

As the commentators noted, it's hard to imagine too many coaches in the "big league" being so sensitive. Or, given the video's 48,000 likes on ESPN's Instagram account, proving nearly so popular.