The Detroit Tigers’ schedule called for buses to leave for the airport at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, 45 minutes before the team’s flight departed for Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Their game is at 7 ET: the Little League Classic against the New York Yankees. This kind of schedule during this time of year, in what is known in baseball as the dog days of August, is something that usually has players rolling their eyes wearily.
It's a day trip to a small town, not an easy one to get to, in the middle of summer. It's a contrast to the big league experience in more ways than one. But Joey Cora, the Tigers' third base coach, has already experienced the Little League Classic twice, including the opening game in 2017, and has assured the Detroit players that they're going to love it.
“Once you get there and you're with the kids, it brings you back to when you were a kid, on a field with your friends,” Cora said. “When you were a kid, you wanted to be there, in Williamsport, and you're going to feel it again. The kids are going to enjoy this.”
The Little League Classic and all the events surrounding it — the visits between youth and major league players — were designed for the benefit of kids, who get to stand face to face and watch players like Aaron Judge this year, and in the past, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.
“They don't ask you how you play,” said Arizona Diamondbacks forward Josh Bell, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Williamsport in 2017. “They're just happy you're there. They're not betting on the games. They're actually rooting for their favorite team and their favorite players.”
But in the end, the Major Leaguers seem to benefit as much or even more than the Little Leaguers. Because, Cora believes, it's a one-day reminder of why they fell in love with the game. “There's no talk of swing decisions, no analytics, no coaching,” Cora said. “There's no talk of money. You think, 'I remember when it was so much fun.'”
Players like Rizzo join kids who ride down a hill with a cardboard board, sometimes falling to the ground in laughter. Kids ask players about their shoes, their sunglasses, their hats; players ask kids about their own fashion. Autographs are signed, pins are exchanged, stories are shared. This weekend, some kids are sure to imitate Juan Soto’s step. They are all connected through baseball.
Cora says he's looking forward to watching the Japanese team train, to seeing the passion that goes into what they do. Tigres' Andy Ibanez, who was born in Havana before leaving Cuba, plans to visit the team on Sunday.
Javy Baez said he loves the conversations with Little Leaguers, many of whom sit with the pros to watch games early in the day. He recalls multiple questions about the swimming move he used to elude tags, as well as how he quickly gets rid of tags. Team coaches, Cora said, ask questions about baseball, while kids, he added with a laugh, “will ask anything.” Bell laughed as he recalled the interactions.
At night, when the Clásico is played in the stadium inaugurated in 1926, the place is almost entirely filled with children and their coaches. FansBell reiterated. Every ball hit in the air elicits a sound of amazement from the crowd, even the fly balls, since they are major league fly balls, far beyond where Little Leaguers are accustomed to seeing a ball soar. Hits are applauded. Outs are cheered. Everyone seems happy.
“It's a breath of fresh air for the players after the toughest days,” Bell said. “It was all special.”
For the major leaguers, the game has a different feel, because of what they experienced during the day, in their interactions. “They’re just throwing the ball and playing,” Cora said of past games. “You’re just out there having fun, like when you were a kid.”
For the teams participating in the Little League Classic, Bell said the day is long, but worth it. “I slept better after that day,” he said, “than I had all year.”
Little Leaguers can dream of spending a day with Major Leaguers. Major Leaguers can dream of days long gone, days they still miss.
