PHILADELPHIA — When Cody Bellinger made the cross-country flight to participate in the 2007 Little League World Series, he had no clue where Williamsport was located in Pennsylvania.
How about almost two decades later for the now-New York Yankees outfielder?
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“I still don’t know,” Bellinger jokingly told USA TODAY Sports last month.
While Williamsport’s exact location may still escape Bellinger, the memories haven’t. Nearly two decades later, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game MVP can still vividly recall what he considers the “100%” no-questions-asked most fun summer of his life before turning pro.
To reach Williamsport, Bellinger and his team defeated Hawaii 8-1 in the championship game of the West Region Tournament in San Bernardino, California. It marked just the second time that Chandler National had sent a team to the Little League World Series.
“It was just so fun. It’s a lot of baseball to get there,” Bellinger said. “… San Bernardino was cool because that was one of the nicest fields and we had a new dorm set up. That was our first time living together. I thought that was really fun. Then we got to Williamsport.
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“It’s just a sleepover with your boys for however long you’re there.”
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
The Little League Baseball World Series has produced generations of champions and unforgettable moments on youth baseball’s biggest stage.
See the teams that won the LLWS title through the years.
Above, 2025 Little League World Series: Asia-Pacific Region team from Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei pose for a team photo after defeating the Mountain Region from Las Vegas, Nevada to win the 2025 Little League World Series Championship at Howard J. Lamade Stadium on August 24, 2025, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
The Little League Baseball World Series has produced generations of champions and unforgettable moments on youth baseball’s biggest stage.
See the teams that won the LLWS title through the years.
Above, 2025 Little League World Series: Asia-Pacific Region team from Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei pose for a team photo after defeating the Mountain Region from Las Vegas, Nevada to win the 2025 Little League World Series Championship at Howard J. Lamade Stadium on August 24, 2025, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2024 Little League World Series: The Southeast Region team from Lake Mary, Florida poses for photos after beating the Asia-Pacific Region team from Taoyuan Ciy, Chinese Taipei 2-1 to win the Little League World Series Championship Game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium on August 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Dylan Buell, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2023 Little League World Series: Members of the West Region team from El Segundo, California pose with the championship banner after defeating of the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao to win the Little League World Series Championship Game at Little League International Complex on August 27, 2023, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2022 Little League World Series: Players from the West Region team from Honolulu, Hawaii celebrate winning the Little League World Series Championship game 13-3 against the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao at the Little League International Complex on August 28, 2022, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Joshua Bessex, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2021 Little League World Series: Team Michigan holds a banner after winning the 2021 Little League World Series game against Team Ohio at Howard J. Lamade Stadium on August 29, 2021, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
2020 Little League World Series: Tournament canceled (COVID‑19)
(Joshua Bessex, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2019 Little League World Series: Members of the Southwest Region team from River Ridge Louisiana pose with the banner after defeating the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao to win the Championship Game of the Little League World Series at Lamade Stadium on August 25, 2019, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2018 Little League World Series: Members of the West Region from Hawaii pose with the banner after defeating South Korea to win the Championship Game of the Little League World Series at Lamade Stadium on August 26, 2018, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2017 Little League World Series: Members of Japan poses for a photo after defeating the Southwest Team from Texas to win the Championship Game of the Little League World Series at Lamade Stadium on August 27, 2017, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2016 Little League World Series: Mid-Atlantic Region players celebrate after beating the Asia-Pacific Region 2-1 during the championship game of the 2016 Little League World Series at Howard J. Lamade Stadium
(Evan Habeeb, USA TODAY Sports)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2015 Little League World Series: Japan Region players pose for a photo after beating the Mid-Atlantic Region 18-11 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
(Evan Habeeb, USA TODAY Sports)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2014 Little League World Series: Members of Team Asia-Pacific (L) pose following their 8-4 win over the Great Lakes Team from Chicago, Illinois to win the Little League World Series Championship game at Lamade Stadium on August 24, 2014, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2013 Little League World Series: Members of the Tokyo, Japan team celebrate after defeating the West team from Chula Vista, Ca 6-4 during the Little League World Series Championship game on August 25, 2013, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2012 Little League World Series: Members of team Japan pose with the banner after defeating the Southeast team from Goodlettsville, Tennessee 12-2 to win the Little League World Series championship game on August 26, 2012, in South Willamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2011 Little League World Series: Members of the West team from Huntington Beach, California take a victory lap in the outfield after defeating the Japan team from Hamamatsu City, Japan 2-1 to win the Little League Word Series championship game on August 28, 2011, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Rob Carr, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2010 Little League World Series: Team Japan rounds the ball park and wave to the crowd after their 4-1 victory over the United States to win the Little League World Series Championship on August 29, 2010 in South Willamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Drew Hallowell, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2009 Little League World Series: California (Chula Vista) players celebrate their victory against Asia Pacific (Taoyuan, Taiwan) after the game after the little league world series final at Lamade Stadium on August 30, 2009 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Larry French, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2008 Little League World Series: The United States team poses after defeating Mexico during the Little League World Series Championship game at Lamade Stadium on August 24, 2008 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The United States defeated Mexico 12-3.
(Doug Benc, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2007 Little League World Series: The Southeast team from Warner Robins, Georgia celebrate after defeating the Japanese team from Tokyo, Japan during the Little League World Series Championship game on August 26, 2007 at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2006 Little League World Series: The Southeast team from Columbus, Georgia pose with their banner after defeating the Asian team from Kawaguchi City, Japan during the Championship game of the Little League World Series on August 28, 2006 at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Southeast defeated Asia 2-1.
(Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2005 Little League World Series: The Northwest team poses with the championship banner after their win over the Caribbean team during the Championship Game of the Little League World Series on August 28, 2005 at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Northwest team from Ewa Beach, Hawaii defeated the Caribbean team from Curacao 7-6 in seven innings.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2004 Little League World Series: Rigynoel Rondei #7 of Curacao leads the way around the field as his teammates and the California team follow after the Little League World Series Championship Game on August 29, 2004 at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Curacao defeated California 5-2 to win the Little League World Series.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2003 Little League World Series: Tokyo Japan players hold the Little League World Series Championship banner after deafeating Boynton Beach Florida 10-1 in the championship game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, August 24, 2003.
(Mike Segar, REUTERS)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2002 Little League World Series: Great Lakes pose for a team photo after winning the Little League World Series Championship Game on August 25, 2002, at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Great Lakes, from Louisvlle, Kentucky, beat Asia, from Sendai, Japan, 1-0 to win the Little League World Series Championship Game.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2001 Little League World Series: New York Mets outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo poses for a photo August 27, 2001, with members of the Tokyo Kitasuna team that won the Little League World series by defeating USA Apopka Florida 2-1 August 26 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The team was introduced before the Mets game with the San Francisco Giants at New York’s Shea Stadium. The Giants won the game 6-5. RFS
(Ray Stubblebine, REUTERS)
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Little League Baseball World Series champions over the years
2000 Little League World Series: Players from Sierra Maestra Little League from Sierra Maestra, Maracaibo, Venezuela, (L) carry the Little League World Series Champions banner as the parade with players Bellaire Little League from Bellaire, Texas, (R) following the 2000 Little League World Series Championship game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, August 26, 2000. Venezuela won the game over Texas 3-2. MS/RCS
(Mike Segar, REUTERS)
Cody Bellinger at the Little League World Series
The significance of reaching the Little League World Series hit Bellinger — who was coached by his dad, two-time World Series champion Clay Bellinger — almost immediately. He said it came in the first inning of Chandler’s opener against Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic representative, at Howard J. Lamade Stadium, when he paused in the outfield and had a “holy crap” realization that he made it to Williamsport, where over 10,000 fans packed the grandstands of one of baseball’s historic ballparks on top of the 30,000-plus around the berm.
“I was in center field and I looked behind me and the whole berm was filled with people. I was like, ‘This is actually crazy,'” Bellinger said. “And then later that night we ended up going on the ESPN Baseball Tonight set and had a microphone on my face. The whole thing was just wild.”
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Bellinger hit the ground running in that opener against Maryland, as he went 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs and three RBI, two of which came on an opposite-field two-run homer.
“I was really nervous my first at-bat,” Bellinger recalled. “I ended up hitting a single, which was really nice.”
Chandler would finish 2-1 in Pool B play on the United States side of the bracket, with wins coming against the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Bellinger would hit .400 overall in the tournament to go along with six runs scored, two extra-base hits and three runs driven in.
The Little League World Series experience
Cody Bellinger at the 2007 Little League World Series.
While in Williamsport, those who compete in the tournament are the town’s celebrities for their entire stay, as spectators who flock from all over to the small Western Pennsylvania town ask players for photos and autographs.
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However, Bellinger said that with the tournament keeping the players “secluded” from the general public during their stay, it was what took place inside The Grove, the players’ village, that made it an “unbelievable experience” for him.
Take, for example, the ping-pong games against Chinese Taipei and Canada, the latter of whom Bellinger and his teammates shared the dorms with in The Grove. And don’t forget the food in the cafeteria, a vivid memory Bellinger still has today.
“(Just) remember the food room being filled with a bunch of kids from different parts of the world,” Bellinger said. “Then the playroom … there was ping pong and arcade games. And on top of all that, just being in the dorm with the whole team and watching ESPN and seeing your highlights of the game. It was just unreal.”
The trip to Williamsport marked one of Bellinger’s final Little League experiences, as Chandler National split into two teams and the future MLB star moved on to club baseball the following summer.
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“I was sick about it because I really thought that we would’ve went back (the next year) but they split us up,” Bellinger said. “I don’t even think I ended up playing Little League that next year just because.
“… That literally was my last Little League experience.”
Bellinger said it wasn’t until their loss to Georgia in the semifinals of the United States bracket that the two-time World Series champion fully understood the magnitude of the Little League World Series.
“We were devastated. (In) tears,” Bellinger said. “Think just as a kid, we were just having so much fun. Baseball was just added fun.”
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For the 200-plus players that have advanced to Williamsport this season and will experience the LLWS in its fullest over the next few weeks, Bellinger’s advice is simple — and one that he included in a video for the Chandler National Team a few weeks back.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’re with your boys for two weeks, having a sleepover, eating together, playing together. At the end of the day, you want to win, but priority number one is enjoy (it). That’s it,” Bellinger said. “You might not go back, and it’s such a fun experience.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cody Bellinger recalls 2007 Little League World Series trip: ‘It was so fun’
