Little League Classic a unique, yet challenging opportunity for players

When playing a Sunday night game, the Pirates would typically have the morning to relax before heading to the ballpark in the afternoon for their usual pregame routine.

There’s nothing typical about what will take place in Williamsport, Pa., this Sunday at 7 p.m., though. The Pirates will play the Cardinals in the Little League Classic at Historic Bowman Field, the second-oldest ballpark in the minor leagues, which seats 2,366.

Those seats will mostly be filled with Little League baseball players, who will spend a few hours with the Pirates and Cardinals, beginning as soon as both teams land in the small town Sunday morning.

The opportunity to promote baseball is something the Pirates treasure, but the hectic itinerary, as well as the game itself, present a few challenges.



“It’s going to be a long day,” Jordy Mercer told DKPittsburghSports.com. “We get it. We’re going to land at 11 or 11:30 (a.m.) and we know it’s going to be a long day but it’s going to be worth it. You get to spend time with kids and people who really look up to you and want to be in your shoes.”

The timing is less than ideal for the Pirates. They’re 6 1/2 games back in the Central Division, needing a win to earn a series split.

Their bullpen is taxed, the starting rotation has been inconsistent and this will be the 124th game of a grueling season. This was originally scheduled as a home game at PNC Park, but it was moved more than 200 miles away to the small town of Williamsport, which is now hosting the Little League World Series.

Aside from breaking out of a typical pregame routine, most players don’t know what to expect from the facility in which they’ll be playing. Historic Bowman Field was built in 1926 and now the home of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League.

Andrew McCutchen spent 13 games with the Crosscutters in 2005, Mercer played there when he was a member of the State College Spikes in 2008 and Clint Hurdle managed the Williamsport Bills in the New York Mets’ system in 1991.

But most players won’t have much time to get a feel for how the grass surface plays or what the sight lines will be like from behind home plate and the outfield dimensions.

“It’s going to be one of those game-time adjustments,” Chris Stewart said. “You don’t really know going in how it’s going to play, whether it’s going to be fast or slow or the ball is going to carry or not. We’re going to get there, assess it and make adjustments as we go.”

It will be a scene unlike any the Pirates have experienced. Most of those 2,366 seats will be filled with Little Leaguers. Upon landing Sunday morning, the players will attend one of the Little League games, offer baseball instruction to children at the Play Ball Park and visit both “The Grove,” where the young participants stay, and the sliding surface beyond the outfield wall at Lamade Stadium.

At the conclusion of those activities, the players will head to Historic Bowman Field at roughly 2 p.m. to prepare for first pitch, where they'll be in a clubhouse unlike any in the major leagues and work out in non-major league facilities, though major renovations were done in preparation for the event.

Max Moroff is familiar with the atmosphere of the small town. When he was 12 years old, his Maitland, Fla., team competed in the 2005 Little League World Series and was eliminated by Vista, Calif., in the quarterfinals. When the Little League Classic was announced in March, Moroff was hoping he’d be in the major leagues to return to the small town where he exchanged pins with other players and forged life-long friendships.

“I never thought I’d go back as a big-leaguer,” he said. “I thought I'd eventually go back with a couple teammates maybe to watch some games. But not as a big-leaguer. That’s unreal.”

That nostalgia will be shared with teammates who never played in the tournament, too. Mercer was unable to contend for a spot in the World Series because he competed in leagues with different rules than those utilized by the tournament. But the event was always special to him, symbolizing the next generation starting a long journey towards the major leagues.

That, he said, is why the Pirates are thrilled to be part of it.

“It’s creating the path for the younger kids to follow,” Mercer said. “When we’re gone, we’re done playing, we’re long gone. We won’t be able to move in our old age, being in a wheelchair or whatever, these younger kids will be in our shoes playing here and continue to hype the game up and continue to move the game for generations to come."

Once the pregame activities conclude, it will be another pivotal Central Division matchup against a formidable opponent on national television with Ivan Nova on the mound. A big-league game in a Little League atmosphere.

Yes, the Pirates admitted the actual game is somewhat of an afterthought for many because of the event's importance, but they are keeping it all in perspective.

"That will be different, but it will be unique," Stewart said. "That’s the key word. ... It will be a little different than we’re used to. The big thing is it’s still a major-league baseball game, so we have to focus on winning a baseball game.