For the Mets on Sunday, their hopes of a late-season sprint into an unforgettable autumn started in the birthplace of Little League.

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. Paige Leckie contributed to this week's newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Carlos Mendoza was thrilled to learn the Little League World Series had a team this summer that represented his Venezuelan hometown. The New York Mets manager struck up a conversation with some kids from Barquisimeto on his trip to the stadium where the traditional youth tournament is held -- only to find the ballplayers a bit distracted by the big leaguers around them.

The Mets were greeted at the airport in Williamsport on Sunday by plenty of enthusiastic young fans and connected with teams from all over the world.

A little Mets fan from Luzerne County got to live out his big dreams, meeting his favorite player at the Little League World Series

A Little Leaguer provided some brutal honesty about what he thought of New York Mets' star outfielder Juan Soto on Sunday during the Little League Classic.

Cardenales Little League from his hometown of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, was representing Latin America in the LLWS.

For Major League Baseball players, a trip to Williamsport is unlike any other. Away from the hustle and bustle of a different big cities every week, the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners are instead greeted from the airport by a slew of Little League World Series players to introduce them to the World Series