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The Little League often provides a platform for young players to showcase their talents, and it was the same for Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller and Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg.
As the Mariners gear up to take on AL East leaders, the Orioles, in the series' final game, Miller and Westburg are set to square off against each other.
However, this won't be their first meeting as opponents, as they shared a duel during their Little League days some 12 years ago. Both youngsters, still in their early days, scored a homer against each other in a Little League game.
The childhood friends grew up in the same neighborhood and attended New Braunfels High School. They also represented the same high school baseball team in 2017.
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Recalling the incident, Bryce Miller told MLB.com:
"I haven't brought that up in forever, but I still remember it."
Meanwhile, the two players have discussed the possibility of facing off against each other.
"That’s something that I think we both have thought about all the way growing up," Westburg told MLB.com. "Just like, 'Man, we both have this dream of playing professional baseball. If we’re not on the same team, then it would be pretty cool to face each other.'"
Bryce Miller and Jordan Westburg's journey from Little League rivals to MLB opponents
The Miami Marlins drafted Bryce Miller in the 2018 MLB draft, but instead, he went to Texas A&M to play collegiate baseball. He signed for the Seattle Mariners in 2021.
The Mariners pitcher made a dazzling start to his MLB career after allowing just one run on his debut against the Oakland Athletics in May earlier this year. He managed ten strikeouts in that game, the most by any debutant in the franchise's history.
Jordan Westburg, meanwhile, played college baseball at the Mississippi State Bulldogs and had to wait until 2020 for his MLB call-up with the Orioles.
Westburg was handed his MLB debut a month after Miller and started as a second baseman in Baltimore's 10-3 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. The 24-year-old registered his first home run in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 24.
The childhood friends are set to reignite their rivalry when the Mariners host the Orioles at T-Mobile Park for their third and final game of the series. The home side dismantled the Orioles in a 9-2 victory in the series opener but succumbed to a 1-0 loss in the second game.
