In what has become one of the major highlights of the Little League Baseball® World Series since it began in 2017, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians are headed to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 2021 to play in the fourth annual MLB Little League® Classic. The game, which will take place on Sunday, August 22 at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field will air nationally that evening on ESPN after a full slate of Little League Baseball World Series games.
“The MLB Little League Classic is an unforgettable experience for our Little League Baseball World Series players, and a day where Little Leaguers dream of being Major Leaguers and the Major Leaguers dream of being Little Leaguers again,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “We are grateful for our continued partnership with MLB and their commitment to growing youth baseball and softball. We look forward to giving a warm Williamsport welcome to the Angels and Indians next summer and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”
Major Leaguers on the Angels and Indians will attend Little League Baseball World Series games earlier in the day on August 22, demonstrating their commitment to helping grow the game at the youth level. As is tradition, a significant portion of the capacity at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field that evening for the Little League Classic game will be filled with the players and families of the participating Little League Baseball World Series teams. Tickets for the game are not available to the general public for purchase.
The current rosters of the Angels and Indians feature Little League graduates who have realized their dreams of making to the MLB, including:
Cleveland Indians
- Sandy Alomar Jr. (First Base Coach) – Salinas (Puerto Rico) LL
- Shane Bieber – Laguna Hills LL (Orange, Calif.)
- Ryan Flaherty – Portland (Maine) North LL
- Cesar Hernandez – Venezuela
- Sandy Leon – El Mojan LL (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
- Domingo Santana – Elrod Hendricks West LL (U.S. Virgin Islands)
“We’re very excited to be selected for what has become a highlight of MLB’s unique lineup of annual showcase games,” said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland Indians President of Baseball Operations. “The future of baseball will be determined by the next generation of players and fans, so to have the opportunity to engage these young athletes to celebrate and continue to grow this great game will have a powerful and lasting impact on our organization and especially our players. It’s a young baseball player’s dream to play on the Little League World Series stage in Williamsport and only a select few get the opportunity. We look forward to bringing our Major League team to participate next August and fulfill some of those young baseball dreams we had when we were just getting started in this game.”
Los Angeles Angels
- Jaime Barría – Cerro Viento LL (Panama)
- Ryan Buchter – Blackwood (N.J.) Kiwanis LL
- Griffin Canning – Trabuco Canyon (Calif.) LL
- Jason Castro – Castro Valley, Calif.
- Manager Joe Maddon – Hazleton (Pa.) LL
- Shohei Ohtani – Mizusawa (Japan) LL
- Anthony Rendon – West Oaks Little League (Houston, Texas)
- Andrelton Simmons – Pabao LL (Willemstad, Curaçao)
- Julio Teheran – Comfenalco LL (Cartagena, Colombia)
“Investing in the future of our game has always been a central focus for our organization,” said Arte Moreno, Los Angeles Angers Owner. “We are honored to participate in this special event that unites MLB’s brightest stars with the game’s next generation.”
The 2021 MLB Little League Classic will be a return trip for Angels Manager, Joe Maddon, who was the manager of the Chicago Cubs when they played in Williamsport in 2019. Angels Mike Trout and Shoei Ohtani are frequently two of the most popular favorite baseball players of the Little League Baseball World Series participants.
MLB and the MLBPA launched the MLB Little League Classic in August 2017. The Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, the Philadelphia Phillies hosted the New York Mets in 2018, and the Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Chicago Cubs in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 installment featuring the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox was unfortunately cancelled.