Little Leaguers begged for a HR from Harris, and he delivered at the perfect time

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Long before Michael Harris II stepped into the batter’s box in the ninth inning at historic Bowman Field, a group of 12-year-olds in the stands had already given him his directive for the night: "Hit a home run."

"They said it before every at-bat, and I let them down," Harris joked postgame. "So eventually I had to do it, and I'm glad it happened at that time."

Harris delivered in the top of the ninth, driving an 83.6 mph slider from Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby into the right-field seats for a solo shot to extend Atlanta’s lead. His 21st homer of the season provided just enough cushion for the Braves to close out a 4-2 victory over Milwaukee in the MLB Little League Classic on Sunday night.

For Atlanta, the national showcase offered far more than just a notch in the win column -- it served as a welcome breath of fresh air as the team enters the final stretch of the regular season, a timely reminder to the players when it comes to why they fell in love with baseball in the first place.

"I thought it was crazy. I think it's a good event for everybody involved," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "I think it's a reminder for the big leaguers why they started playing the game. The stakes are high, the pressure's high. Sometimes you need those reminders of why you started to play the game. I think today is a perfect example of that."

That youthful energy was contagious all night, especially for veteran infielder Ozzie Albies, who spent ample time hanging out and mentoring players from the Curaçao Little League team before first pitch, a team he used to play for himself.

"Playing in front of the Little Leaguers was really special," Albies said. "I know their dream is to play in the big leagues one day. So I'm happy that we could show them how to play the game and how we take care of preparation. ... For me, I definitely will do anything from my side for these kids to have their answers that they need. … [I want them to] keep dreaming and keep believing in themselves."

On the field, Atlanta set the tone early when Mauricio Dubón laced a clutch RBI ground-rule double down the right-field line in the second inning, which was followed by an RBI single from Sean Murphy in the fourth to reclaim a 2-1 advantage.

Trade Deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle provided exactly the kind of steadying presence Atlanta needed on the mound, holding Milwaukee to one run over five-plus innings while striking out four.

"He's been a shot in the arm for us," Weiss said of Mahle. "He's a strike-thrower. He's got a really good feel for sequences, for navigating lineups. He's done a really nice job."

Albies echoed his manager's praise for the right-hander: "He's a competitor. He goes out there and gives us the best he can every single time. I love the way he attacks the zone."

After Didier Fuentes came on in relief in the sixth to extinguish a key Brewers threat with a double play, Milwaukee managed to trim the deficit to 3-2 in the eighth on an RBI triple by Luis Lara.

That set the stage for Harris' ninth-inning blast, making him the first player in franchise history to homer in the Little League Classic.

"It's always cool to be the first to do something," Harris said of his milestone, which was also his eighth home run of the year against left-handed pitching. "I just keep telling myself to simplify against the tougher lefties and look for one part of the plate. ... I just put my best swing on it."

The insurance proved vital in a wild bottom of the ninth. After a leadoff single, a wild pitch and a walk put runners on the corners for the Brewers, closer Raisel Iglesias slammed the door by inducing a game-ending 1-6-3 double play off the bat of Jake Bauers -- a sequence that stood following a Milwaukee challenge.

With the Williamsport festivities wrapped up and a needed victory in hand, the Braves head home to Atlanta to open a marquee series against the Dodgers at Truist Park on Tuesday night.