WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Hours before children from Tokyo to Cuba and Sydney to Staten Island filled the stands at Bowman Field to watch the Yankees lose 3-2 to the Tigers in 10 innings, major league players got their revenge at the Little League World Series complex.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were mobbed as they made their way through Lamade Stadium as the Illinois and Pennsylvania teams competed.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked around with a video camera in his hand to document the experience.
Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza sat together with players from their home country Venezuela.
Pitching coach Matt Blake took a seat in the section occupied by the team from his home state of New Hampshire.
Relievers Clay Holmes and Jake Cousins mingled with the Tokyo team.
Holmes even pulled out his phone to use it as a translator so he could better communicate with players who wanted to know all about the handles on his sinker and sweeper.
In a fit of youthful innocence, a player approached Rookie of the Year candidate Luis Gil and asked if he knew where Anthony Volpe, the Yankee closest to them in age before Jasson Dominguez was drafted as the 27th man, was so he could get the shortstop’s autograph.
“Just having the opportunity to interact with so many fans and players and seeing their excitement as they watch us – but I think a lot of the guys are just as excited just to be there and see the field and the whole experience,” Volpe said.
The journey to the place every 12-year-old baseball player wants to end up was short, but the Yankees certainly gave the Little League World Series players some unforgettable moments of a lifetime.
And the stay there also reminded the Yankees of their own Little League days.
“When I was about 8, I started wearing a big league cap no matter what team I was on,” Giancarlo Stanton said. “You start copying what the players are doing. I just couldn’t imagine hanging out with big league players at that age.”
Of course, the Little Leaguers were in awe when they met some of the Yankees in person.
“They were blown away by how big Big G and Judge were,” Volpe said.
The day began with the teams from Venezuela and Nevada meeting the Yankees at the airport and greeting them as they walked onto the tarmac, signing many autographs.
They then boarded the bus with the Yankees and drove to the Little League complex, where the remaining 20 teams (who didn’t play in either stadium) were able to spend time with the Major League players, ask them all kinds of questions, take more selfies with them, and get their balls autographed.
“They had a lot of questions for us and were just curious about what this means to us, what it’s like to play in the big leagues, the steps you have to take to get there,” Stanton said. “They were just asking us questions. The cool thing is I recognized some of the kids when I saw them play (on TV) last week. So that was pretty cool.”
“I found it very natural and very entertaining,” added Volpe, who joined Austin Wells in taking up the tradition of sliding down the hill in the outfield of Volunteer Stadium on a cardboard plate.
The Tokyo team, who knew a little English and filled in the gaps with the help of Holmes’ phone, were keen to know how he threw his shots.
“It seemed like the whole sweeper thing was getting there because they were excited about the sweeper,” Holmes said. “They asked me how I felt about the sinker and the sweeper. They were great. Super respectful, super intrigued, very curious. It was fun just hanging out with them.”
Judge’s parents were in attendance, far away from Linden Little League.
Later, dignitaries at Bowman Field included Hal Steinbrenner and Joe Torre.
Then, of course, there was a decisive game between the Yankees and the Tigers.
But perhaps it was the pomp in the run-up to the Little League World Series that made the difference.
“When I first walked through the stands and saw the field and the games going on, I thought, ‘This is pretty awesome,'” said manager Aaron Boone. “It’s just a very special place.”
