NEW YORK – Mariners manager Dan Wilson said he is looking forward to watching his team play in the Little League Classic against the Mets in Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday night.
Wilson has ties to the area. In 1981, he was a pitcher/catcher in the Little League World Series for Barrington (Ill.), and he called the experience incredible from the beginning of the tournament to the end.
In the quarterfinals, Barrington edged Escondido, Calif., 6-5, but then lost to Tampa, Fla., in a slugfest, 11-10, in the semifinals. Former Major Leaguer Derek Bell played for Tampa in that game. In the consolation game, Barrington beat Trail, B.C., 7-3.
2025 Little League Classic, presented by New York Life
• Mariners vs. Mets: Sunday, 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN
“You really don’t understand what it’s all about. You start playing in these tournaments and you start winning the tournaments and you just keep moving [on],” Wilson said. “Then they [say] you are going to a tournament in Ohio. You are kind of perplexed, and you win that one. Then you end up going to the Little League World Series.
“For some of us, it was the first time on an airplane. What an incredible experience. I’m really looking forward to going back on Sunday and seeing how different it looks and what’s going on. It’s been a long time. What an experience for any 11-, 12-year-old kid to go through that kind of a summer. We are excited to see about Sunday and see what it is all about.”