The 8 best moments in Little League Classic history
Theo DeRosa
The Yankees and Tigers will face off on Aug. 18 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the seventh annual MLB Little League Classic at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa.
Held during the Little League World Series, the day-long celebration of baseball is a fun way to bring Major Leaguers and Little Leaguers together. Over the years, the Little League Classic has resulted in plenty of amazing moments, whether during the festivities or during the MLB contest itself.
Here’s a look back at the top moments in the history of the MLB Little League Classic.
1. Little Leaguers team up to throw out the first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch of the Little League Classic is always a sight to see. Each year, Little Leaguers team up for a first pitch like no other, with one player from each Little League World Series squad lining up from the center-field wall to home plate. From there, the players relay the ball all the way in, demonstrating the importance of teamwork, friendship and fundamentals. Before the 2023 contest, 18 Little Leaguers combined to throw out the first pitch — a timeless moment year after year.
2. Jorge Mateo’s clutch hit leads Orioles
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the 2022 Little League Classic, but the Red Sox fought back. After Boston tied the game in the top of the eighth on a Franchy Cordero home run, Baltimore shortstop Jorge Mateo delivered the biggest hit in any Little League Classic to date. Mateo ripped a bases-clearing double down the left-field line in the bottom of the eighth, putting the Orioles up 5-2. Baltimore finished out a 5-3 win, with Mateo playing the hero.
3. Pirates, Cardinals players sport special cleats
A pair of opposing players donned some special footwear during the inaugural Little League Classic in 2017, when the Pirates hosted the Cardinals. Pittsburgh infielder Josh Harrison wore cleats signed by Little League players in his team’s colors, black and gold. “They’re always asking us for autographs,” Harrison told MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi. “I thought it’d be cool to ask them for theirs.” Cards outfielder Tommy Pham had a pair of young cancer patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital decorate his shoes. Seven-year-old Lamarion designed Pham’s left cleat, and 5-year-old Chloe did the right.
4. Cora takes part in hill sliding tradition
Sliding down the hill at Williamsport’s Lamade Stadium, the site of the Little League World Series, has become a tradition. Even Red Sox manager Alex Cora got in on the action before the 2022 contest. Diving headfirst with a head of steam, the Boston skipper actually sailed right off the piece of cardboard underneath him and slid across the grass for several feet. “Just grab the cardboard,” Cora told ESPN when asked for advice to future hill-sliders. “You have to make sure you grab it. I let it loose, and I just kept going.”
5. Phillies, Nats swing custom bats in 2023 contest
A bat painted like a No. 2 pencil? Another in the likeness of the Phillie Phanatic? Both were realities at the 2023 Little League Classic, with the Phillies’ Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper among those wielding custom lumber. (The Nationals’ Joey Meneses, for his part, swung a bat painted like a blue crayon.) It was another reminder of the lighthearted nature of the event, which has seen players wear jerseys featuring their nicknames in previous years.
6. Josh Bell hits first-ever Classic HR a mile
It’s hard to imagine a more aesthetically pleasing first-ever Little League Classic homer than the one Josh Bell delivered for the Pirates in 2017. After an RBI groundout from Andrew McCutchen to open the scoring, Bell crushed a two-run shot off the Cardinals’ Mike Leake to put Pittsburgh up 3-0. The no-doubt home run — the first in the event’s history — sailed into the parking lot well behind the fence in right-center as Bell delivered a big blow in the Bucs’ 6-3 win.
7. Mets rotation watches from the stands
Little League players sitting in the stands behind home plate at the 2018 Little League Classic got to meet some special seatmates. The entire Mets starting rotation (besides Jason Vargas, who started the contest) watched the game from the seats at Historic Bowman Field. Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz sat alongside players from the Staten Island Little League team, the Mid-Atlantic Region representative. “It was fun,” deGrom said. “They were just asking how hard we throw, what we throw, just stuff like that. One of their pitchers was showing us the grip he used. It was cool.”
8. Kris Bryant, Little League ballplayer swap advice
Kris Bryant regrets that his youth squad never made it to the Little League World Series, but he still has great memories of his years playing Little League. “It was just some of the most fun times in my life,” Bryant said in 2019 ahead of the Cubs-Pirates Little League Classic. “You’re out there with smiles on your faces having the best time in the world.” That smile was on the face of Grayson Newman, a third baseman for the Bowling Green, Ky., Little League squad in the 2019 LLWS. Sitting together in the stands, Bryant and Newman gave each other some advice. “I want to see you just go out there and enjoy it,” Newman told Bryant. “Just live it like you were a Little Leaguer and just have fun.”
