Seattle Mariners Skipper Throws First Pitch Before Little League World Classic Game
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The Seattle Mariners and New York Mets will determine the winner of their three-game series in the Little League Classic on Sunday at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa.
The Little League Classic takes place in the middle of the Little League World Series and allows the big league players, coaches and managers to interact with the little leaguers at the event.
Many of those coaches, managers and players have competed in Little League and the Little League World Series when they were younger, and that includes the Mariners manager, Dan Wilson.
The second-year skipper participated in the Little League World Series when he was 12-years-old in 1981 as a pitcher/catcher for the Illinois team out of Barrington, Ill.
Wilson and Barrington made it to the semifinals of the LLWS, where Illinois lost to Florida.
Wilson threw out the first pitch before a LLWS game between Panama and Mexico on Sunday in Williamsport.
Dan Wilson, a 1981 #LLWS participant and current @Mariners manager, throws out the first pitch before the Panama and Mexico game in Williamsport. pic.twitter.com/CAlJWUfv6w
— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 17, 2025
“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 in an interview in a story written by MLB.com's Bill Ladson. “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.”
Wilson played in the majors from 1992-2005. He spent '94-05 with Seattle. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Jan. 17, 2012, and was hired by the organization as manager on Aug. 22, 2024.
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