As the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers continue on their path for the National League’s top seed, they’ll be taking a slight detour. This weekend marks the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., and the two clubs will battle it out at Historic Bowman Field.
This year marks the ninth MLB Little League Classic, and the stakes are incredibly high. Neither the Braves nor the Brewers have played in Williamsport, and they’re leaving Milwaukee early to have a meaningful game at a minor-league stadium. They might not even know what Historic Bowman Field is!
Luckily for the Braves and Brewers, we’re here to help. Here’s everything that you need to know about Historic Bowman Field.
What is Historic Bowman Field, home of the 2026 Little League Classic?
Built in 1926 for the Williamsport Grays minor-league team, the ballpark was originally called Memorial Field before being renamed Bowman Field in 1929. Walton Bowman was instrumental in the park’s funding, and the rest is history. The park slightly changed names in 2000, when it became Historic Bowman Field. Talk about an upgrade!
The Williamsport Crosscutters have been Historic Bowman Field's primary tenant since 1999, when they replaced the Cubs. Additionally, the Williamsport Outlaws hockey team played their home games at the venue in 2012. Don’t worry: They had an ice rink at the stadium, so players weren’t skating through the grass and dirt.
There have been four championship teams and one co-champion who called Historic Bowman Field home. Most recently, the Crosscutters won the MLB Draft League in 2024. Both the Braves and Brewers are probably hoping that simply playing at the park itself bodes well for their own title chances.
Bowman Field was also the site of a bizarre event in 1987, when Williamsport Bills catcher Dave Bresnahan threw a shaved potato instead of a baseball to trick an opposing runnerno. The Bills released him the next day, though they later retired his No. 59 because of fan support. Minor League Baseball is incredible, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Has Historic Bowman Field hosted the Little League Classic before?
An entire stadium of little leaguers once impersonated Craig Kimbrel’s iconic lean 😆
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2026
The #LittleLeagueClassic returns Sunday! Braves vs. Brewers at 7:10 pm ET on ESPN
(MLB x @NewYorkLife) pic.twitter.com/k8UEPvZLz5
Yes, Historic Bowman Field has hosted the Little League Classic since 2017. Major League Baseball, specifically Rob Manfred, believed that the game would encourage children to become "active participants.” In hindsight, that proved to be perfect timing, because baseball was slowly embracing individuality, bat flips, and energetic celebrations. Within a few years, the only person complaining and bemoaning how much baseball had changed was John Smoltz.
Much like the recent MLB at Field of Dreams, the league always intended for the game to be in the regular season and, ideally, feature two teams in postseason races. There won’t be any cornstalks in Williamsport, but we’re sure that the Braves and Brewers have something special planned for the Little League World Series players.
Add us as a preferred source on Google