Aaron Judge heard steady cries of “Judge” from kids who flocked to the New York Yankees slugger from the moment he stepped off the team plane to his appearance at the Little League World Series.
One of the biggest stars in baseball, Judge was certainly the biggest attraction around Williamsport.
Jazz Chisholm Jr tossed souvenirs to pleading kids and captured the commotion on an old-school handheld video camera. Wearing his Yankees uniform shirt, Giancarlo Stanton showed Little Leaguers how to properly grip a baseball on a bus ride.
Photo: AP
Through it all, Little League players were awestruck by the sight of real-life big leaguers.
“They were blown away by how big G and Judge were on the bus,” Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe said.
Players from the Yankees and Detroit Tigers grabbed their hunks of flattened cardboard and took flight for the traditional slide down the outfield hill outside the Little League World Series stadium. Judge handed out collectible pins to the players. The Tigers played video games and table tennis with kids in the game room. It was hard to tell who had more fun.
“Just to get a chance to share that moment with them, talk to them, sign a couple of autographs, I think if you ask both teams, we all enjoyed that experience,” Judge said.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon that delayed Little League World Series games, the Yankees and Tigers acted like kids again as they mingled with elite 12-year-olds from around the globe at the site of the pinnacle of youth baseball.
The Tigers then went out and rallied in the ninth and 10th innings to beat the Yankees 3-2.
“I had dreams of playing in the Little League World Series,” New York manager Aaron Boone said.
Boone had to settle for a role in the MLB Little League Classic on Sunday night at 2,366-seat Historic Bowman Field.
The Yankees and Tigers played two games in Detroit over the weekend and took a quick flight to Williamsport to finish the series on Sunday.
They were mobbed in the morning at the airport by smiling Little Leaguers. Both teams rode the bus with the young players to try and watch the Series at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, though rain thwarted those plans. New York and Detroit later made a short ride to Bowman Field, which opened in 1926.
“I just couldn’t imagine at that age being able to hang out with big leaguers at that time,” Stanton said.
The kids had questions for the MLB stars. Who is the hardest pitcher you’ve faced? How do you get to the majors?
“They’re pointing at your muscles and asking how you get big and strong,” Judge said, laughing. “It’s pretty cool stuff.”
Some of the kids were celebrities already to the Yankees and Tigers who followed along with the Little League World Series bracket.
“The cool thing is I recognized some of the kids from watching them play this week,” Stanton said.
Taiwan, represented at the tournament by Taoyuan’s Kuei-Shan, were to play Cuba, represented by Santa Clara, after press time last night.
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