WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Corwin Laurence, Zion Rose and Jlani Turner were playing a pick-up game of baseball Thursday afternoon in Jackie Robinson Park when cheers erupted from the nearby baseball diamond.
The trio of 9-year-olds paused their game, and Corwin yelled to his mom, one of hundreds of people who came to the park to watch Jackie Robinson West play in the first round of the Little League World Series Thursday.
"Mom, did they hit a home run?" the 9-year-old asked.
All three boys know players on Jackie Robinson West, based in Morgan Park. Sometimes they play against the older kids, they said.
And seeing boys they know play on a big screen in the park while hundreds of people watch is pretty cool, according to Jlani.
"It's amazing," he said.
"They're going to be famous," said Zion. "Especially Marquis."
Corwin rebuffed a reporter who asked who that was.
"Marquis Jackson. The best player in the whole tournament," he said but was quick to rattle off the rest of the team's players, saying they are all good.
Jackie Robinson West is the first Chicago team to reach the Little League World Series in 31 years, after winning the Great Lakes Regional last Saturday.
The team, made up of 11-, 12- and 13-year-olds, easily won Thursday's game 12-2 over Lynnwood, Washington. The win means the team will advance to the winner's bracket in the double-elimination tournament held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Thursday's viewing party was hosted by the Chicago White Sox and the mayor's office. Local leaders, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, were in the crowd Thursday.
Before the game, Emanuel said he was confident Chicago's team would pull out a victory.
"Our kids will win. Regardless of the score, I want you to know, the kids on this team are going to be winners," he said. "It's more important that we show everybody this is an entire city, entire community, whether you're here or not, everybody is rooting for our kids."
Aven Deese, who lives about a block away from the park, said he took off early from work Thursday to bring his 4-year-old son to watch the game.
Deese said his son, Amir, has recently taken a strong interest in baseball. He said the two watched the Great Lakes championship game together, and Amir was "jumping up and down on the couch really enjoying it, so I knew this was happening and brought him over here."
"These kids need every alternative they can get to what's presented to them," Deese said. "This is important because I grew up in a neighborhood where baseball was supported, and that's not the case a lot of the times in this neighborhood.
"When kids can see the community coming out and cheering on these kids, the kids can put two and two together," Deese said.
Sharnay Buchanan, of Englewood, brought her three children as a surprise. Buchanan's car broke down, but she was determined to make it to the party and she her kids took the bus, she said.
"With all the violence, I keep them sheltered, so finally to get a chance to come out and see something positive, it's just motivation for them to keep moving and doing positive stuff," Buchanan said.
She said her three children play football but now want to start playing baseball after seeing Chicago kids broadcasted on ESPN.
"For them to see all this, they want to be a part of it," she said.
Sharon Bradberry's child plays in the South Side Little League located in the Chatham neighborhood. She said she hopes Jackie Robinson West's success helps the little league baseball grow in Chicago.
"We've all played Jackie Robinson this year, and we've all lost," Bradberry said with a smile. "We hope that the Chicago Park District and Major League Baseball work together to continue to support little league growth."
And most fans Thursday said they're confident the team has what it takes to make it deep into the tournament, maybe even win the championship.
For now, seeing local kids on a big screen is enough for 9-year-old Zion Rose and his friends.
"I'm just wishing I could be just like them," he said.
"We are gonna be just like them," Corwin Laurence assured him. "We're gonna be for real."
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