Phils, Nats to face off in ’23 Little League Classic

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies and Nationals will play in the 2023 Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa.

The Aug. 20, 2023, game will be a home game for the Nationals, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, ESPN Radio, the ESPN App and ESPN Deportes.

As is custom, the Phillies and Nationals players will attend a Little League World Series game earlier in the afternoon. Little Leaguers and their coaches and families will then watch the Phillies and Nationals play at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.

Major League Baseball said in a press release that “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. According to the latest Team Sports trends report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), baseball and softball combined to be the most participated sport in the United States among kids ages 6 to 12 with more than 6.5 million participants. Additionally, in four of the last six years, baseball and softball combined to be the overall most participated team sport in the U.S. Prior to the pandemic, casual participation in baseball increased by nearly 90% from the start of the PLAY BALL initiative in 2015.”

The Little League Classic was launched in 2017 between the Pirates and Cardinals. It followed with the Phillies and Mets in 2018, Pirates and Cubs in 2019, Guardians and Angels in 2021 and Orioles and Red Sox this year.