Which bat is better: No. 2 pencil or crayon?
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- The kids at the Little League World Series may not be ready to go back to school quite yet, but Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott came prepared with some extra supplies -- sort of.
Stott stepped into the box with a custom No. 2 pencil bat for his first plate appearance against the Nationals in Sunday's Little League Classic at Muncy Bank Ballpark. The flashy yellow lumber was complete with a red eraser at the top and a black handle to represent the lead.
It also had "B2SKL" inscribed near the top, shorthand for back to school. And the spot on a No. 2 pencil that typically has the "2" label had been replaced by "2/HR" -- perhaps in the hope it would spur a two-homer game.
But that wasn't the only custom gear Stott was sporting on Sunday night. He also had special cleats from NXT LVL Customs that incorporated the Little League teams from Henderson, Nev., (just outside of Stott's hometown of Las Vegas) and Media, Pa., which is just outside of Philadelphia.
One cleat sported Henderson team colors and the other had Media team colors, and both featured autographs from the Little League players. Stott had a chance to meet with both teams earlier in the day at the Little League Complex.
"That was really cool," Stott said. "It was awesome to be able to see both those teams in person and connect with some of the kids."
Plenty of other players got in the spirit with some custom gear of their own.
Bryce Harper continued to show his appreciation for the Phillies' beloved mascot by using a one-of-a-kind green Phillie Phanatic bat. Alec Bohm had a blue bat featuring a series of Liberty Bells that were inscribed with the phrase "I LOVE THIS PLACE" -- an ode to the transition from his infamous "I hate this place" moment to his "I love this place" renaissance.
“Bats were awesome, right?” Harper said. “The cleats, everything. It’s always fun for the kids to be able to see it and see a big league team.”
On the Nationals side, designated hitter Joey Meneses opted to do some coloring instead of writing -- rolling with a bat that was designed to be a replica of a blue crayon.