MLB returns to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday for the sixth installment of the MLB Little League Classic, looking to jumpstart youth development efforts that had stalled during the pandemic.

The primetime game between the Phillies and Nationals, played just a few miles from the Little League International Complex, is a key component of ESPN’s restructured, seven-year, rights deal with MLB worth $3.9 billion — and runs alongside the network’s Little League World Series rights deal totaling about $10 million annually through 2030.

The league continues to invest tens of millions annually in youth development efforts such as Play Ball and the MLB Urban Youth Academies. The MLB Little League Classic provides another large-scale opportunity to help reverse drops in baseball and softball participation rates during the public health crisis.