Phillies have fun using pencil bats and other unique models during Little League Classic

When the Philadelphia Phillies were batting against the Washington Nationals on Sunday during the MLB Little League Classic did you think you were seeing Nickelodeon-esque, digitally-altered bats?

You weren't. The bats were real and they were magnificent.

MLB Classic 2023: Phillies, Nationals are kids for a day, mingling among Little Leaguers

The Phillies' Bryson Stott and Weston Wilson were showing a back-to-school look with lumber painted like a No. 2 pencil. Philadelphia’s bat rack looked more like cars on pit road before a NASCAR race, with most bats sporting a different paint scheme. Bryce Harper used a bat decorated with the Phillie Phanatic’s green image. Alec Bohm held one painted with Liberty Bells and “I Love This Place” painted in four different bells, a nod to his infamous “hate this place” quote from last season.

Wilson, who played 706 games in the minors before he homered in his first big league at-bat, showed off the pencil design on his 34-by-31¼-model bat in the cramped clubhouse. Wilson said he “absolutely” would use the bat in a pinch-hitting role.

The bats were made by Victus Sports and actually available for sale. The pencil bats run around $250 for a youth model to $300 for a full-sized model.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Phillies use unique bats during MLB Little League Classic