WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Parker Meadows set off fireworks with a 10th-inning single that brought hundreds of Little League players to their feet and scored on a headfirst slide by Zach McKinstry to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball’s Little League Classic on Sunday night.
The Little Leaguers, who were crazy about Yankees hitter Aaron Judge from the moment he got off the plane until his final at-bat – he finished the game 1 for 4 – had to wait until the ninth inning for the real excitement to begin.
Detroit rookie Jace Jung tied the game at 1-1 when he hit an RBI single with two outs against Clay Holmes in the ninth inning. That scored Colt Keith, who hit a double with one out against the All-Star closer to start a comeback that gave Holmes his 10th blown save of the season.
With a single in the 10th inning, DJ LeMahieu scored the automatic runner to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead, but McKinstry singled the automatic runner for Detroit to tie the score at 2-2.
McKinstry stole second base and sprinted into left field against Mark Leiter Jr. (3-5) after Meadows’ base hit, while Yankees talent Jasson Dominguez hesitated for a moment before throwing late to the batting plate.
Beau Brieske (2-3) fought for the win in one inning.
Gleyber Torres scored in the sixth inning on a wild pitch from Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to give New York a 1-0 lead.
The crowd, made up mostly of Little League players and their coaches and families — oh, and injured Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. — was among the 2,532 fans at historic Bowman Field who had come to watch Judge hit the home run. Or maybe Juan Soto.
What they got was a game that resembled many Little League games around the world. A run was scored on a wild pitch. A batter who was out reached first base on another wild pitch. A runner was miles away from the batting plate trying to make something happen.
The big league players should make an impression on the kids who play in the Little League World Series.
It turned out that the Tigers and the Yankees were influenced by the children’s play.
For most of the kids cheering in their Little League uniforms from the front rows of the stadium, which opened in 1926, the final score didn’t seem to matter much.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole walked into the ESPN announcer’s booth — or rather, a few stadium seats behind home plate — and chatted with a Little Leaguer. Chisholm — who captured the action with a handheld video camera — said he had become friends with a player named Russell McGee from Nevada and even followed the boy on Instagram.
“Now he’s like my little brother,” Chisholm said.
This is definitely better than catching a foul ball.
While fans were clamoring for Judge to beat his MLB record of 44 home runs, he instead threw a ball into a double play against Skubal in the sixth inning that moved Torres to third base. Instead of getting Judge out of the way, Skubal threw a wild pitch with Giancarlo Stanton at the plate that sent Torres home.
Marcus Stroman had five strikeouts in six scoreless innings for New York.
The Classic definitely had the charm of a local Little League game. Kids sipped drinks, waited in line for hot dogs, and buckets of chips and water bottles were lined up behind each section.
Buy them some peanuts and Cracker Jack? Sure, why not, at those kiosk prices – only $3 a person for a hot dog, water and, yes, Cracker Jack – it’s certainly better than the inflated prices found at most major league stadiums.
Australian players served as stadium announcers when the Tigers got a hit in the third inning. The only person—or thing?—as popular as Judge was Paws, the Tigers’ mascot. Paws had a long line inside the concourse to take selfies, a perfect time for kids to pull on his tail.
Yankees and Tigers players hung from the railing of the team bench and applauded as the 20 regional championship teams were introduced in a pregame ceremony.
Maybe there’s a reason so many players got along so well with the kids – most of them haven’t played baseball as youngsters for that long. The Tigers – who needed the Classic to make their first appearance on ESPN’s Sunday night broadcast since 2017 – had six players age 24 or younger in the starting lineup.
Detroit showed off its youthful aggressiveness when Jung – one of those twenty-somethings at just 23 – was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on Meadows’ double to end the fifth inning.
Tigers designated hitter Riley Greene even reached first base when he struck out a wild pitch in the sixth inning.
Just like you would see in Little League.
New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres (right) scores on a wild pitch from Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal (29) during the sixth inning of the Little League Classic baseball game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Detroit Tigers’ Parker Meadows (right) is declared safe with a stolen base while New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres (left) holds a tag during the third inning of the Little League Classic baseball game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino (left) strikes out Detroit Tigers catcher Jace Jung (right), who was trying to score on a double by Parker Meadows in the fifth inning of the Little League Classic baseball game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers throws during the first inning of the Little League Classic baseball game against the New York Yankees at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman throws during the first inning of the Little League Classic baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, left, is videotaped by Jazz Chisholm, center, as he is introduced before the Little League Classic baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The New York Yankees arrive at the Little League World Series Complex to watch the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees walks in and talks with Oliver Johnson of Henderson, Nevada, as the New York Yankees arrive at the Little League World Series Complex to watch the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, center, is seen as the New York Yankees arrive at the Little League World Series Complex to watch the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)