*Photo from the Williamsport Sun Gazette*
The Little League classic has routinely become an event to watch in the MLB season, and this one didn't disappoint. Anthony Santander drove in a run, Jorge Mateo had the game winning hit, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox with a 5-3 victory on Sunday night in Williamsport.
This year's Little League classic was the 5th rendition of the event at Bowman Field in Williamsport. The Orioles and Red Sox were supposed to match up at the 2020 playing of this event, but that didn't happen due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, so they pushed it to this year.
But the event is more than just a game. From the point that both teams land at the airport, they are greeted by Little Leaguers playing in the Little League World Series. They sign autographs and take pictures, and then they get to the field and watch a game of the Little League World Series. The players also enjoyed sliding down the famous outfield hill and interacting with Little Leaguers all day long, before they took the field and played at night.
Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer said of the experience that "The game, the atmosphere in the game, it brought back memories of being a kid. Sometimes in this line of work, it becomes work and you forget that it's still a game. Today brought that back for a lot of us."
Once the game started, Santander got the scoring started for the Orioles, giving them a 1-0 lead on an RBI single. A few batters after Santander was Ramon Urias, who doubled the Orioles lead, singling home Adley Rutschman to make it a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Kike Hernandez got the Red Sox on the board with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
After that, the game went quiet on the scoreboard for a while. In the top of the 8th inning, Franchy Cordero delivered, hitting the game tying solo home run to make it a 2-2 game. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, Mateo laced a double down the line to put the Orioles ahead by a 5-2 score. Xander Bogaerts got a run back with a solo homer in the 9th, but they couldn't score any more.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde talked about playing in the event, saying "We haven’t been on the national stage very often, if at all. And to be able to have our guys be seen across the country, the only game that is going, I think it’s a big deal for a lot of our players."
Getting the start for the Orioles was Kremer, who turned in a good outing. Kremer allowed one run on 5 hits and two walks, lasting 5 1/3 innings. Dillon Tate worked the next 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on the only hit he gave up. Cionel Perez pitched the next inning, and Felix Bautista closed out the win.
The starter for the Red Sox in the series finale was Nick Pivetta. In his latest start, Pivetta allowed two runs on 6 hits and one walk, striking out 9 hitters in 5 2/3 innings. Matt Strahm worked 2/3 of an inning, followed by one inning from Matt Barnes, who got the loss. John Schreiber and Austin Davis also pitched.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of playing in Williamsport that "It was great. Something that I will always remember. This is baseball at its purest. Have fun with the kids, enjoy it and turn the page. The whole morning was outstanding. The atmosphere was great. The kids were able to watch some real good baseball and they had a blast. It was an outstanding day, regardless of the results."
Next year's Little League classic will be the 6th playing of the event at Bowman Field. The Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals will face off against each other as an NL East rivalry takes center stage.
Up next, both teams have a day off before getting in action on Tuesday. The Orioles host the Chicago White Sox, with Austin Voth lined up to start. The Red Sox head home to host the Toronto Blue Jays, with no starter named yet.
Comments
Post a Comment