Within the framework of the Little League World Series, MLB rewards the teams that participate in this children’s tournament, with the presence of two Major League teams, something that has become a tradition since 2017.
The MLB holds this game not only as an award to the young players of the 20 teams worldwide that come to Williamsport every year, but also seeks to motivate them to continue their career in the diamonds until they reach the professional level.
Bowman Field home of the annual game
The first game in history at this venue, in 2017, between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, was held at the current home of the game, Bowman Field, with minimal attendance capacity, so many thought it would be impossible to hold a Major League Baseball game there.
Bowman Field has a capacity of just 3,000 fans, an incredibly small number compared to that of an MLB team’s stadium, while the residents of the site, in Lycoming County, were drawn by lottery through the MLB website, in addition to the fact that the game is also attended by the players of the children’s teams and their families.
For that first game, the Cardinals and Pirates wore special uniforms, which included features such as brightly colored jerseys with contrasting sleeves, special colored caps and a unique logo that was inspired by the official MLB and Little League Baseball logos.
In addition, players were encouraged (but not required) to put their nicknames on their jerseys.
Over the years, the Little League Classic has become a huge success, so MLB has repeated the game every year, and now it’s the Yankees and Tigers’ turn to delight the little ballers who attend the annual event.
Since 2017, only in 2020 has the annual game not been played, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the Little League World Series was not played either.
Who have been the winners of the MLB Little League Classic?
Here is the complete list of games that have been played since 2007 in MLB Williamsport, and their results:
- 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 St. Louis Cardinals
- 2018 New York Mets 8-2 Philadelphia Phillies
- 2019 Chicago Cubs 7-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 2021 Cleveland Indians 3-0 Los Angeles Angles
- 2022 Baltimores Orioles 5-3 Boston Red Sox
- 2023 Washington Nationals 4-3 Philadelphia Phillies
- 2024 New York Yankees 2-3 Detroit Tigers
- 2024 Seattle Mariners 3 – 7 New York Mets
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