Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Joining all his Milwaukee Brewers teammates as they made their way through the sprawling complex in advance of their Little League Classic matchup against the Atlanta Braves later in the day, right-hander Jacob Misiorowski became the real-life “Forrest Gump” that manager Pat Murphy often jokes about.
As in the scene where the main character picks up a throng of runners as he jogs his way through the United States in the movie, Misiorowski found himself engulfed wherever he walked, with scores of Little Leaguers screaming his name, asking for autographs from and selfies with the guy who just so happens to also be the odds-on favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award.
Players were allowed to break apart and roam the grounds as they saw fit after arriving in coach buses and walking the gantlet up to the main ballpark, Lamade Stadium, with games going on there and also behind it at Volunteer Stadium behind it.
Accompanied by security and local law enforcement at times, Misiorowski first made his way up one of the many hills to a recreation building containing ping pong and foosball tables as well as arcade-style video games and finally stopped for a bit to sign baseballs and interact with select Little Leaguers.
One youngster was on the verge of hyperventilating after getting an autograph and peeling away from the circle, and not long thereafter Misiorowski took on another lucky player in a quick game of ping pong.
“At the core, Miz is a tremendous person and he has an understanding of people, and it’s very, very genuine,” said Murphy. “As genuine as Forrest Gump. That’s what I love about the kid. So, anything you tell me about how he treats people when he does things, it just makes me smile.”
From there it was back down and into Lamade Stadium, with the Midwest Region team – yes, the one that knocked Whitefish Bay out earlier in the week – taking on and eventually beating the Metro Region.
Misiorowski climbed up through the stands and to the top of the ballpark, then across a small catwalk and into the tiny broadcast booth where he sat in on ESPN’s live broadcast of the game for a spell.
He then traded spots with Christian Yelich and headed off elsewhere, no doubt thrilling anyone he came into contact with at what can rightly be called one of sports’ unique landmark events.
One longtime MLB official, eyeing the madness, offered the only other played he’d seen engender as much excitement as Misiorowski at the Little League Classic was New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, as ubiquitous a face as there’s been in the game in the last decade.
“It was definitely overwhelming, but it was fun,” said Misiorowski later from the tiny Brewers clubhouse down the first-base line at Historic Bowman Field on the other side of town as the team began its preparations for what it hoped would be a series sweep over the Braves.
Milwaukee beat Atlanta at American Family FIeld, 2-1, behind Misiorowski on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday.
“It’s fun to be a little ‘super hero’ for those guys. It was a blast.”
Misiorowski then put it another way.
“It’s unreal. It’s weird,” he said. “It’s definitely a shell-shock moment of kind of feeling in a way I made it. Like, back when I was a kid that’s who you looked up to – you wanted to be that guy.
“It’s crazy that I’m the guy they look up to. It’s cool.”
Misiorowski was asked if he’s gotten used to being famous yet.
“No,” he said, quickly and definitively. “It’s still weird going around Milwaukee and people recognize me there.
“But it’s fun.”
Quipped Yelich: “Miz is a big kid himself, so he’s going to be just fine.”
Some players, like Brice Turang, bought hats from their native region – he purchased the West along with fellow Californian Jake Bauers while Georgia native DL Hall was spotted with one from the Southeast – and even traded pins with players and staffers.
Yelich, meanwhile, hung around with Team Croatia and Team Japan a bit as part of his movement around the event. Milwaukee flew into New York on Saturday night, then jetted into Williamsport on Sunday morning and bused directly from the airport to the complex.
The Brewers then planned to fly back to New York on Sunday night, have a day off Monday and then begin a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday night.
“There were a lot of people but they’re just excited,” Yelich said. “It was a cool morning.”
Yelich also had an interesting take when discussing how the kids in particular view he and other major-leaguers up close. Some of those kids were lucky enough to be joined by the likes of Misiorowski, Yelich, Turang, Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell on their bus on the ride over.
“They all play with you on MLB The Show,” he said, referring to the pre-eminent baseball video game. “So, they know you from the video game and they see you and they’re kind of making the connection, ‘Oh, I play with you on my video game every night, and here we are on the same bus.’
“It was cool and they were excited, and it was a cool morning to see the whole complex and everything.”
The newest member of the Brewers’ traveling party was catcher Bo Naylor, who was designated as the 27th man for the event. He was still introducing himself to teammates, coaches and staff during the pre-game having spent the prior three weeks or so at Class AAA Nashville after being acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade.
The timing of his promotion was just a little late, as he just missed his older brother, Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, in Milwaukee the previous series.
But he certainly wasn’t complaining.
“After the game in Nashville got postponed due to weather [on Saturday] they called me into the office and told me that I was going to be up here for today,” Naylor said. “Excited to be here and meet some of the guys and check out the vibes and just soak it all in.
“It’s all a blessing, and that’s the only way I see it. Being able to share this experience with some of the guys and the kids participating in the Little League World Series is cool, and meeting a bunch of the guys here has been awesome.
“Nothing crazy, but it’s been great so far.”
Milwaukee’s participation in the Little League Classic marks the franchise’s first inclusion in an MLB “jewel event.”
The travel and routines are different, but the payoff enormous.
“This has been incredibly heartwarming on so many levels,” said team principal owner Mark Attanasio. “We’re starting to see how popular baseball is. We have people from different countries all over the world coming here, and the passion for the game is infectious.
“And look at all these young folks.”
Murphy agreed.
“It’s an opportunity for our players to kind of stand up and be an example and dig deep a little bit and get perspective on what it’s really all about,” he said. “And that makes me enjoy it, knowing that they’re stepping out of themselves a little bit.
“I think that’s healthy. Whether it’s mid-season, early season – doesn’t matter. I think it’s a healthy situation.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Miz was The Man at the Little League World Series
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