Aaron Judge was greeted with constant shouts of “Judge!” from kids who rushed to see the New York Yankees star as soon as he stepped off the team plane and arrived at the Little League World Series.
One of baseball’s biggest stars, Judge was definitely the main attraction in Williamsport.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw souvenirs to eager kids and recorded the excitement on a classic handheld video camera. Giancarlo Stanton, wearing his Yankees uniform, showed Little Leaguers how to grip a baseball during a bus ride.
The young Little League players were amazed to see real big leaguers up close.
“They were blown away by how big G and Judge were on the bus,” Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe said.
Yankees and Detroit Tigers players took turns sliding down the outfield hill outside the Little League World Series stadium on pieces of flattened cardboard. Judge handed out collectible pins, while Tigers players played video games and table tennis with kids in the game room.
It was tough to say who had more fun. “Just to get a chance to share that moment with them, talk to them, sign a couple of autographs, I think if you ask both teams, we all enjoyed that experience,” Judge said.
On a rainy Sunday that delayed the Little League World Series games, the Yankees and Tigers acted like kids again while mingling with top 12-year-olds from around the world at the heart of youth baseball.
The Tigers later came back to win 3-2 against the Yankees with a rally in the ninth and 10th innings. “I had dreams of playing in the Little League World Series,” New York manager Aaron Boone said.
Boone had to settle for participating in the Major League Baseball Little League Classic on Sunday night at Historic Bowman Field, which has 2,366 seats.
The Yankees and Tigers played two games in Detroit over the weekend and then flew quickly to Williamsport to finish the series on Sunday. They were greeted by smiling Little Leaguers at the airport in the morning.
Both teams rode a bus with the young players to try to watch the Series at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, but rain ruined those plans. New York and Detroit then took a short trip to Bowman Field, which has been around since 1926.
“I just couldn’t imagine at that age being able to hang out with big leaguers at that time,” Stanton said.
Kids asked the major league stars questions like what it’s like to play in the big leagues, who is the toughest pitcher they’ve faced, and how to make it to the majors.
“They’re pointing at your muscles and asking how you get big and strong,” Judge said, laughing. “It’s pretty cool stuff.”
Some of the kids were already familiar to the Yankees and Tigers, who had followed the Little League World Series bracket.
“The cool thing is I recognized some of the kids from watching them play this week,” Stanton said.
The Little League Classic is one of MLB’s efforts to attract new fans and rekindle the interest of old ones through unique events, like this year’s Phillies-Mets series in London. The first Little League Classic took place in 2017 when the St. Louis Cardinals played the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dillon Phelan from the Great Lakes region (from Hinsdale, Illinois) mingled in his full uniform with teammates near the Tigers’ dugout before Sunday night’s game.
Dillon, a catcher for his team, which lost both games in the World Series, hoped to catch some baseballs from the Tigers. He already knew how to get autographs. Dillon took off his cap and showed off the autographs he had collected earlier in the day from both the Yankees and Tigers.
Stanton and Volpe signed Dillon’s hat, and so did Yankees slugger Juan Soto. Detroit outfielders Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene also added their signatures to Dillon’s souvenir.
“It’s been cool,” Dillon said. “It’s been a good memory that I won’t forget for a long time.”
Little Leaguers were treated like MLB All-Stars during their time in Williamsport. They were celebrated by thousands at a downtown parade. ESPN spent 2 1/2 hours interviewing the kids and gathering fun facts from each one for its TV coverage.
Great Lakes coach Damon Phelan, Dillon’s father, said the team spent eight days in town before even playing a game.
“There’s so much prep that goes into the games, everything from the boys getting new uniforms, cleats, all new batting gear, catcher’s gear,” he said. “It’s like Christmas in August.”
The best gift of all might have been making friends with the Yankees and Tigers.
