While Bayonne romped its way to a pair of victories in the Little League Metro Regional this week, the 12-year-old All Stars from Hudson County approached the championship game from a different vantage point.
Trailing 4-0 after the top of the first inning in Bristol, Connecticut, Bayonne rallied three different times to finally tie the game, 6-6, in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Then, with a single by Jett Bridges, Bayonne took its first lead of the night, 7-6. Chase Klimkowski, the starting pitcher for Bayonne, drove in an insurance run next, and Bayonne star Mason Rincon, who also pitched in relief, finished the sixth inning with a strikeout and two groundouts. He fielded the final grounder back to him, then flipped the ball to the first base to record the last out.
The 8-6 final score was all Bayonne needed to claim the regional championship and advance to the Little League World Series for the first time in the peninsula city’s history.
“We got punched in the face, but we were able to punch back and stand together as we went through the finish line,” said Gabe Garcia, an assistant coach, whose son is the shortstop and leadoff hitter. “The kids are super ecstatic. I don’t think it’s hit them.”
Bayonne, which has had a little league since 1951, became the 21st team from New Jersey to reach the World Series. Toms River won the Little League World Series in 1998 with future MLB star Todd Frazier leading the way. On Friday night, Frazier served as the analyst for the ESPN broadcast.
Bayonne remained unbeaten this summer, having now gone 15-0 through sectionals, states and the regional rounds. The Little World Series will run from Aug. 19-30 in Williamsport, Penn. On Wednesday, Bayonne will face the team from Bridegwater, Mass. at 7 p.m.
Connecticut wanted no part of Rincon, who is Bayonne’s best all-around player. Rincon, who announced his power with three home runs in the New Jersey state championship game, was intentionally walked each time he stepped to the plate, but teammate Owen Feliz made Connecticut pay with two doubles that drove in two runs each. He also drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to propel Bayonne’s offense.
To celebrate the victory following the final out, all of the players threw their hats and gloves in the air. Teammates embraced as Rincon joined them all in bounding around the mound. Their place in history was made official when Little League administrators handed them the white banner that identified them as Metro Regional champions for 2026.
In the stands, more than 150 supporters from New Jersey cheered. Many wore gray, white or maroon T-shirts emblazoned with “Bayonne vs. Everybody” across the chest.
Back home, “Let’s go Bayonne!” chants broke out inside The Starting Point, a bar and grill down the block from Bayonne Little League’s complex. A single Bayonne Police SUV was parked at the entrance as revelers made their way home.
For the team, it continued to be a whirl. N.J. State Troopers helped get them out of the stadium and back to the dorm they stayed in all week. Their bus to Williamsport was scheduled to depart at 8 a.m. Saturday.
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