WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- As the Mets ventured around the Little League complex early Sunday ahead of the Little League Classic, Mark Vientos hesitated. Was he going to slide down the infamous hill at Lamade Field?

It took some cajoling from the horde of Little Leaguers surrounding him (and a few Mets staffers), but eventually he did.

2025 Little League Classic, presented by New York Life

There was zero hesitation in Vientos’ swing 10 hours later, when he stepped to the plate vs. the Mariners and launched a three-run homer to right field, igniting the Mets’ offense en route to a 7-3 victory in the Classic.

The longball, which sent all Little Leaguers in attendance wild with excitement, left Vientos’ bat at 103.5 mph, soaring over the right-field wall, the ball urged along by an excited

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