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Henry Huber on Little League: Mother Nature paved way for great Classic

By HENRY HUBER 4 min read

As Sunday approached, it seemed like one of the most anticipated parts of the Little League World Series was in jeopardy.

Forecasts indicated plenty of rain through the afternoon and early event -- the hours leading up to the seventh rendition of the MLB Little League Classic. Since its inception in 2017, the event had seen just one cancellation in 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the Series), but a lot of people expected that number to jump to two with Sunday's rain.

But miraculously, Mother Nature seemed to change her mind, likely acknowledging what this event meant for the Little Leaguers.

Instead, first pitch came under a sunny sky and even with a little humidity, temperatures stood in the low-70s. Rain still threatened Williamsport, as storm clouds hung in the distance. But they wouldn't touch Bowman Field from the opening ceremony to the game's conclusion.

It was as if Mother Nature placed a force field around the ballpark. And the result was an excellent experience for the Little Leaguers, spectators and pros.

"It's great. "This is obviously an amazing event," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone on the opportunity to coach at the Classic.

"The Little League World Series is a longtime staple in our society and in the world. And for what Major League Baseball has done here

"What Major League Baseball has done here over the years, marrying the two events in some way this weekend, it is really good for everyone involved."

Like years past, Little Leaguers filled the front sections and fans filled the rest. Players warmed up to bat and walked to their dugouts just ten yards away from most of the teams -- half on the Yankees' side and half on the Tigers' side.

Throughout the game, Little Leaguers got to participate in games between innings, with Cooper Hastings of Texas picking the correct hat amidst a baseball version of the shell game and a kid on the Florida team hitting a cycle by tossing a ball in four hoops -- labelled single, double, triple and home run -- in 45 seconds.

In the middle of the sixth inning, they got a wave going, with it briefly going strong enough to get some of the outside crowd involved before play resumed. For the seventh inning stretch, Paws -- the Detroit Tigers mascot -- conducted the kids through 'Take me out to the Ballgame."

And when it was all said and done, the kids got treated to a great game.

Even though it lacked offense for most of regulation, they got to bear witness to an excellent pitcher's duel between Detroit's Tarik Skubal and New York's Marcus Stroman. Both fields made exciting plays throughout, from tough track downs to crisp double plays.

And just when it seemed like the game was over, things heated up. Detroit's Jace Jung would bat in a run on the last out of regulation to tie the game, extending the MLB Little League Classic to extras for the first time in its eight-year history.

Two halves later, they would also get to watch its first walk-off win, as the Tigers made the most out of the opportunity they created for themselves. Though some fans had already cleared out, Bowman Field rang loud in that moment.

Win or lose, everyone involved greatly enjoyed themselves.

The Little Leaguers got to spend the day with their role models and see them play up close, fans and residents of Williamsport got treated to a great game on a historic field and the pro players and coaches were provided with a nice break from the routine of their long season.

"The memories of this experience and to get to be here, you try and keep that perspective when you get the opportunity to do this in the course of the long season," said Boone after the team's loss.

"It's pretty incredible," said New York starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on the experience. "I think these events are awesome for baseball, and I think they need to continue to happen."

With the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets already being announced as the eighth pair of teams to partake in one of the series' most anticipated events, more excitement awaits.

Starting at /week.