ANGELS PRESS RELEASE: Angels to face Indians in 2021 "MLB Little League Classic"

[John Taylor]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—August 23, 2020

 

LOS ANGELES ANGELS AND CLEVELAND INDIANS HEADED TO WILLIAMSPORT

IN 2021 FOR THE “MLB LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC PRESENTED BY GEICO”

 

ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” and ESPN Radio

To Air Game Nationally at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, August 22, 2021

The Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians are headed to Williamsport, Pa. in 2021 to play in the “MLB Little League Classic presented by GEICO,” as announced today by Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and Little League International. The game, which will take place on Sunday, August 22^nd and serve as a home game for Cleveland, will air nationally that evening exclusively on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” at 7:00 p.m. (ET), and also will be available on ESPN Radio, the ESPN App and ESPN Deportes. 

“We're very excited to be selected for what has become a highlight of MLB’s unique lineup of annual showcase games,” said Cleveland Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti. “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.”

“Investing in the future of our game has always been a central focus for our organization,” said Los Angeles Angels Owner Arte Moreno. “We are honored to participate in this special event that unites MLB’s brightest stars with the game’s next generation.”

Major Leaguers on the Angels and Indians will attend Little League Baseball World Series games earlier in the day on August 22^nd, demonstrating their commitment to helping grow the game at the youth level. As is tradition, a significant portion of the capacity at Historic Bowman Field that evening for the Little League Classic game, which is part of the “GEICO Summer Series,” will be filled with the players and families of the participating Little League Baseball World Series teams, as well as local Williamsport youth baseball and softball organizations.

Participation in baseball at the youth level continues to have significant growth, according to a prominent, independent source that collects data on youth sports participation. In January 2020, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced their Topline Participation Report for 2019 for individual and team sports played in the United States. For the fourth consecutive year, baseball and softball combined to rank as the most participated team sports in the United States in 2019 with 25.1 million participants. Overall, Baseball has grown 20% in participation since 2014, which is the year prior to the launch of ‘PLAY BALL.’  This growth more than doubles the percentage of the second closest sport (basketball at +8%).  In that same timeframe, baseball has added 2.65 million new participants while casual participation (playing 12 times or less in a given year) has increased by 55%.

MLB and the MLBPA launched the Little League Classic at the renovated Historic Bowman Field 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. 

Historic Bowman Field, in which Major League Baseball and the State of Pennsylvania invested a multi-million-dollar renovation prior to the 2017 MLB Little League Classic, opened in 1926. More than 560 Major Leaguers, including Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Bill Mazeroski, Jim Rice and Jim Bunning, have worn a professional baseball uniform for Williamsport.  

The Little League Baseball^® World Series is an international championship tournament for children, ages 10-12, held annually in Williamsport, the headquarters for Little League International.  Each year, countries from around the world compete on a global stage, with games airing on ESPN and streamed via the ESPN App.

[tdawg87]

I assume Heaney will be starting.

[Inside Pitch]

Those poor children.  Shouldn't CPS be involved in this?

[Stradling]

3 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Those poor children.  Shouldn't CPS be involved in this?

I’m pretty sure Polonia retired.  

[Inside Pitch]

3 hours ago, Stradling said:

I’m pretty sure Polonia retired.  

Effed up.   I LOLed...

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Effed up.   I LOLed...

Would you have preferred Chad Curt.....