On Sunday, the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels will meet in Williamsport, Pa. to play a game at the site of the Little League World Series.
The Little League World Series is a great event every summer, and it’s especially cool to see Major League Baseball getting involved with an annual game in Williamsport.
Known as the Little League Classic, this is the event’s fourth year of existence.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s game.
The Venue
The game will be played at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
The venue is just a few miles from where the actual Little League World Series takes place.
Muncy Bank Ballpark seats just over 2,000 fans, so the game will have a very unique feel.
Here’s a look at the stadium:
Still a few days left to go, but Muncy Bank Ballpark is getting closer to being ready to take it's place on the big stage for the 2021 @MLB #LittleLeagueClassic! pic.twitter.com/960gavCGiD
— Williamsport Crosscutters (@crosscutters) August 19, 2021
The Uniforms
The teams will be rocking some really sweet uniforms in Sunday’s game.
The MLB Little League Classic returns this Sunday night! 🙌@Indians take on the @Angels in Williamsport on SNB. pic.twitter.com/lFvn0wHGZd
— MLB (@MLB) August 17, 2021
The threads pay homage to each team’s respective region, just as teams in the Little League World Series do.
It’s a super cool idea, and the concept was executed quite nicely.
The Little League Classic has been around for a few years, but this is the first time that the teams will rock region-inspired jerseys.
The Matchup
An Indians/Angels matchup isn’t exactly the flashiest game on paper.
Both teams will likely be home for the postseason, and the game doesn’t have many ramifications.
That said, there is at least one reason to tune in: Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The two-way phenom is having arguably the best season in baseball history, and everyone wants to get an up-close look at him.
He recently belted his 40th home run of the season.
He leads the league in that category.
He also leads the league in slugging (.648) and total bases (265).
He has an OPS of 1.011 and OPS+ of 165, meaning his OPS+ is 65 percent better than the average hitter.
Ohtani won’t be on the mound on Sunday, but he has made 18 starts this season.
He has maintained a 2.79 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 1.06 WHIP to this point.
The Angels—who are very mediocre overall—are 12-6 in his Ohtani’s starts.
That speaks volumes.
When you look at his game log, it’s not surprising that the Angels are successful when he gets the ball.
In his 18 starts, he has allowed three runs or fewer in 16 of them.
The 27-year-old is on pace to finish the year with a WAR of 11.0.
There’s zero question that he will be taking home American League MVP honors.
Probable Pitchers
Jose Suarez is going to get the start for the Angels on Sunday.
Cleveland—which has dealt with rotation woes all year—has not yet named a starting pitcher.
Suarez is having a nice year for LA.
Over 16 outings (seven starts), he has a 3.88 ERA, 4.26 FIP, and 1.26 WHIP.
He began the year in a relief role but has been making starts since the beginning of July.
At 23 years old, he looks like he could be a nice rotation piece for years to come.
The Angels have to be excited about his potential.
Ohtani aside, Suarez has been arguably LA’s best revelation this season.
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