The Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals participated in the Little League Classic on Sunday and provided a special addition to the contest when they stepped up to the plate.
They debuted customized baseball bats that were used by players on both teams, resembling items all too familiar to the Little Leaguers in attendance.
Some of the bats resembled items such as No. 2 pencils and crayons, and the Phillies mascot.
Bryce Harper used a bright green bat, customized to look like the team's mascot, Phillie Phanatic.
The NBA star took the time to speak to the Little Leaguers in attendance, saying: 'It's a steppingstone to being great. Camaraderie, having fun, enjoying it. Win, lose, everything. You guys go be great at anything you do.'
Players from the Phillies and Nationals used customized bats in the Little League Classic
The bats used by players featured crayons, No. 2 pencils, and even the Phillie Phanatic
Phillies star Bryce Harper used a bright green bat, customized to look like the team's mascot
Trevor Williams tossed two-hit ball over six shutout innings and led the Nationals to a 4-3 win over Philadelphia.
Jake Cave hit a two-run homer off Kyle Finnegan in the ninth but the Nationals closer recovered to strike out pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto to end the game and set off a flurry of fireworks in the outfield. Finnegan got his 21st save.
Little Leaguers from 20 teams - from Nevada to Venezuela to Japan - helped stuff Historic Bowman Field, many of the kids using dugout tops as makeshift coasters for Gatorade bottles, hot dogs and other favorite ballpark snacks.
Some lucky ones even got to chew the fat at the sixth MLB Little League Classic with big leaguers such as Philadelphia´s Harper and Washington´s Joey Meneses.
Meneses, out of Culiacán, Mexico, advised the Mexican Little Leaguers to 'stay calm' in the spotlight.
Harper tried to cheer up Media, of suburban Philadelphia, and fist-bumped some players after the team was eliminated from the Little League World Series.
The Little Leaguers were treated like stars. They tossed T-shirts from atop the dugout to fans, mingled with players during the game, got interviewed on television and kept the soda vendors hustling.
Williams (6-7) made pitching against the Phillies look like child´s play.
One night after Trea Turner homered twice in one inning in a Phillies´ rout, Williams struck out four and walked three.
He had some early help against the NL wild-card leaders. Keibert Ruiz ripped a two-RBI double off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler (9-6) and Dominic Smith had a two RBI single for a 4-0 lead in the first.
Williams settled down after that. He struck out five in seven innings in front of a crowd that included Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred and Little League President Stephen Keener.
Nationals' Jake Alu high fives the Little League team from Nolensville, Tennessee
Josiah Gray of the Nationals slides down the outfield hill at the Little League Classic
Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott sign autographs for the Little Leaguers on Sunday
The big boppers Phillies fans came to see play - throw in the Media connection and most of the fans donned some sort of team merch - went down quietly. All-Star Nick Castellanos doubled in the sixth, but Harper and Kyle Schwarber went 0-for-3.
The Phillies and Nationals spent part of the day at the Little League International Complex and shared activities from cardboard sledding to whiffle ball games with the Little Leaguers. The Phillies even took in a few innings watching the Media game and went wild when the team staged a tying rally.
'I think it´s been a lot of fun,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before the game. 'It was really an unbelievable experience to see the energy, the amount of people that were there, imagining as a 10 or 11 year old playing in front of that many people in front of that type of energy.'
The kids returned the favor hours later. The front-row seats behind the dugouts belonged to 12-year-olds dressed in full uniform and hanging on every pitch - well, at least when they didn´t chase the team mascots for photos or rise in unison between each inning in hopes of having a major leaguer toss them a ball.
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