Mariners, Mets to face off in 2025 Little League Classic
PITTSBURGH -- The Mariners and Mets will take part in one of Major League Baseball’s marquee events next summer, as the league on Sunday announced that the two clubs will square off in the 2025 MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa.
The game will be held on Sunday, Aug. 17, and played at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, airing nationally on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
As is tradition for the occasion, players from both teams will attend Little League World Series games earlier that day, as part of an effort to grow the game at the youth level and engage with fans from that demographic. Then later that evening, many Little Leaguers and their families will be invited to the jewel event.
This is the first trip to the Little League Classic for the Mariners and the second for the Mets, who played the Phillies there in 2018. It will serve as a home game for the Mets, who were already scheduled to host the Mariners at Citi Field for a three-game series that weekend. The first two games will be played in Flushing, N.Y., before both clubs travel to Williamsport.
Following the game, the Mets will have an off-day before traveling to Washington for a three-game set against the Nationals. As for Seattle, the game will be sandwiched between the New York series and a three-gamer at Philadelphia.
The Mariners are only the second West Coast team to play in the event after the Angels did so in 2021. The first Little League Classic was held to great success in 2017 between the Pirates and Cardinals, leading it to becoming one of the premier events on the Major League calendar. The Tigers and Yankees were the teams selected for 2024.
Historic Bowman Field is the home of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the collegiate MLB Draft League and served as a Minor League ballpark for years.
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. Countries from around the world compete on a global stage each year. Little League International expanded the pool of teams in 2022, increasing the championship tournament to 20 teams.