PITTSBURGH – Two years ago, the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 6-3, in the inaugural Little League Classic. Josh Bell homered and drove in four runs. The Bucs' top four hitters combined for eight hits. Their young closer, then known as Felipe Rivero, locked down his 14th save.

It was a Major League game at a Minor League ballpark in front of a Little League audience during the Little League World Series -- the beginning of a tradition that ended with handshake lines. And the game itself was maybe the least memorable thing the Pirates did during a long day in central Pennsylvania.

Ask the handful of current Pirates who were on the active roster then, and you’ll hear a similar story: The game was fun, sure, but everything leading up to Ivan Nova’s first pitch made the day special. That’s why they’re excited to return to Williamsport on Sunday to face the Cubs in the third annual Little League Classic presented by GEICO.

“I remember more about when we got there in the morning and watched the game and all that stuff with the kids. I don’t really remember much of the game,” Felipe Vazquez said, laughing. “I think I had more fun just being there.”

The Pirates’ chartered plane from Pittsburgh landed just after 10:30 a.m. ET on Aug. 20, 2017, and the excitement began almost immediately. They were greeted at the Williamsport airport by a few Little League World Series teams. On one shuttle to the Little League World Series site, the Pirates hosted some Little Leaguers. On another, the Little Leaguers hosted a few Pirates.

During the ride, former Pirates reliever George Kontos let kids hold his Giants World Series ring. Former Pirates infielder Josh Harrison chatted up young players and let them sign his cleats. Trevor Williams swapped caps with a player from Mexico and wore his new hat most of the day. Bell was inundated with questions -- but surprisingly few about the 26-homer, 90-RBI rookie campaign he was putting together at the time.

“The funniest part of the whole experience was how interested the kids were in social media,” Bell said. “I expected to get on the van, have kids be like, ‘What do you think about my swing?’ They’re pulling out their iPhones, and I’m like, ‘Oh, what are you about to show me?’ And they’re like, ‘Follow me on Instagram! Like my pictures!’”

When they arrived, the Pirates were swarmed by more Little Leaguers looking for high-fives, handshakes, autographs and selfies. If there’s a Major League record for selfies, it might have been set by the Pirates and Cardinals that day.

“The day felt like it flew by because of how much fun it was, how genuinely excited the kids were,” Williams said. “I got to sit on the berm with Jameson [Taillon], and we got to sit there and hang out with Little Leaguers and watch the game. It was a really fun day.”

Then came the highlight of the day: hours spent hanging out in the stands, in the recreation room, on the field and even in the dugout with the Little Leaguers.

“They were crazy when we got there. To go in the dugout and shake hands with them, that’s what we’re here for,” Vazquez said. “All those kids, they’re just trying to make it up here. That’s where we started. It’s cool just to be able to go back.”

• Inaugural MLB Little League Classic a success

For some, it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Vazquez said he had a chance to go when he was younger but couldn’t afford the trip. Adam Frazier said his Little League team lost a three-way tiebreaker in the state championship and fell just short of the opportunity. Frazier made up for it two years ago, he said, by soaking in the experience with some nachos and deep-fried Oreos.

“Just to be in the stands and enjoy it from that perspective was pretty fun. But I know it’s a highlight for the kids, too,” Frazier said. “Even if they go and lose a couple games, they get to see our game and be around big leaguers, stuff like that. It’s a fun deal.”

Players were understandably skeptical heading into the experience. Nobody had ever done it before. It was indeed a long day, with a late afternoon game the day before and a night game the day after. They were transported back into a Minor League clubhouse. It was during the dog days of August, and the Pirates were in the middle of one of the worst stretches of their season.

None of that mattered when Vazquez, Francisco Cervelli, Jose Osuna and Elias Diaz met a team from their native Venezuela. Or when the whole Pirates squad watched the Japanese and South Korean teams run infield drills. Or when Williams and Taillon sat in lawn chairs watching a game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

That’s what they’re ready to do again on Sunday. A win wouldn’t be so bad, either.

“I just remember everyone was really happy. The kids were really happy. The fans were really happy. The parents. Everyone was just really happy to be there,” Williams said. “It was a really fun day. It was something that, at the end of the day, I was looking forward to doing again.”