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Little League Players March Down Brooklyn's Seventh Ave. In Honor Of Opening Day

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Young baseball players from across Brooklyn spent a beautiful Saturday kicking off the start of Little League season and even met a special guest on opening day.

Mayor Bill de Blasio threw out the first pitch to an anxious crowd at Prospect Park in Park Slope.

"(You just caught the ball. How does it feel?) It feels great," Timmy Wallace said.

"It's beautiful. This is when you know Spring is really happening, when you get to Opening Day of baseball," de Blasio said.

Hundreds of geared-up players with the Prospect Park Baseball Association marched in a parade with their families down Seventh Avenue.

"It feels amazing, we've been waiting for weeks," one marcher told CBS2's Ilana Gold, with the sun beating down in near 60 degree temperatures.

"Thank goodness, it's about time. We've all frozen through a long winter," Carrol Gardens resident Patrick Watson said.

Now that the winter is over, the teams can't wait to hit the baseball fields and show off their skills.

"(How excited are you to start the season?) Pretty happy. I've been waiting for it for a while so it's nice," Florence Toimil said, of Prospect Park.

And win or lose, the kids are just thrilled to play again.

"I've been waiting for like five months," Wallace said.

The city said the rough winter took a toll on the fields and crews worked tirelessly to make sure they were ready for Opening Day.

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