RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The boys are back in Bayonne.
After boarding a chartered bus in Williamsport, Pa. around 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Bayonne Little League All Stars rode east along Interstate 80, where Hudson County Sheriff’s Officers met them at the Delaware Water Gap and escorted them across New Jersey to Exit 14A off the Turnpike Extension.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m., more officers on motorcycles and Bayonne firefighters in trucks then led the bus down Broadway to the city’s Little League complex on First Street, where fans feted the 12-year-olds who won two games at the Little League World Series over the last week before falling to the Great Lakes team, 5-2, Tuesday night.
“It was a Cinderella run,” said Gabe Garcia Sr., an assistant coach whose son, Gabe Garcia Jr., played shortstop and pitched for the team. “We just lost the slipper.”
Hundreds of family members, friends and general supporters from the neighborhood greeted the team and asked for autographs on baseballs, hats and jerseys. To show their appreciation for the fans who wore T-shirts emblazoned with “ Bayonne vs. Everybody ” throughout the summer, the dozen players counted off, “1-2-3!” then shouted, “Thank you!” They all tipped their caps to those gathered around them.
“Just amazing,” said Connor Reed, one of the players.
Bayonne mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski was among the crowd. Bayonne Little League board member Mike Conway noted that the current plan is to have a full parade for the boys on September 13 to let the players get acclimated to peninsula life again after 19 consecutive days on the road. They had not come home in between the Metro Regional tournament in Bristol, Conn. and the Little League World Series in Williamsport, where they lived communally in a single room at a dormitory.
“So proud of everything they accomplished and the way they represented our city!” said Ashe-Nadrowski, who attended the Little League World Series.
Young fans check out the Bayonne Little League team’s equipment, not yet unpacked from the team’s bus at their homecoming in Bayonne, New Jersey on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Ian Peters | For NJ.com
Inside the Bayonne Little League office, families of players and coaches filed expense reports for travel costs that accumulated during the run. They also tried to figure how to fit the new bags, bats and other equipment gifted to the boys in back seats and trunks of their vehicles.
“Never in my wildest dreams could I have thought this would happen,” said Conway, the little league’s treasurer who has been a volunteer for 28 years.
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As players and their parents grabbed slices of pizza and reminisced, Jaime Rincon , an assistant coach whose won, Mason, played five different positions at the World Series, noted that all of those involved were looking forward to a break.
Following the loss Tuesday night, the team went back to its dorm and let out their emotions. Then, they celebrated with family members who were waiting outside.
“We all had our cries and hugs for five minutes,” Jaime Rincon said. “It’s a celebration now looking back on what we accomplished together. It’s all about celebration.”
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