The Seattle Mariners are getting a unique chance to be kids again.
Seattle Mariners bullpen could be uniquely set up for playoff run
The M’s are set to compete in their first Little League Classic game Sunday against the New York Mets in Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa. This year marks the eighth edition of the event, which is the culmination MLB’s Players’ Weekend.
Little Leaguers will get a chance to interact with players from the Mariners and Mets, who will take in Little League World Series games from the stands before their 4:10 p.m. matchup is played in front of a crowd largely composed of Little Leaguers and their families.
Other MLB teams that have competed in the event are the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies (twice), Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals.
LLWS connections
The Mariners won’t be the only team from Washington in Williamsport on Sunday. The team from Bonney Lake representing the Northwest Region in the Little League World Series is scheduled to face Braintree (Massachusetts) in an elimination contest at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. Bonney Lake dropped its opening game 5-3 to Las Vegas on Friday.
The Mariners have one former Little League World Series participant – M’s manager Dan Wilson. Wilson, a former MLB All-Star who played 12 of his 14 major league seasons in Seattle, helped Barrington (Illinois) take third place in 1981.
Where to listen and watch
You can hear the radio broadcast of Sunday’s Little League Classic game on 710 AM Seattle Sports and the Seattle Sports app beginning with the pregame show at 3 p.m.
The game will be televised nationally as a part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. The Mariners and Mets were also featured on Sunday Night Baseball last August, which was Seattle’s first appearance on the broadcast in 20 years.
Pitching matchup
The Mariners will send right-hander George Kirby (8-5, 3.71 ERA) to the mound to square off with Mets right-hander Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.71).
Kirby is 7-1 with a 2.42 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 48 1/3 innings in his past eight starts dating. Holmes is 1-2 with a 5.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 38 innings in his past eight outings.
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