It’s not every day you see a visiting player catch a ceremonial first pitch. For that matter, you never see it.
But that’s what happened in Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The Reds invited Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber to catch a pair of ceremonial first pitches.
Why? A couple reasons.
The first is this: The guys throwing out the first pitches were Schwarber’s father and his youth baseball coach.
That’s because Schwarber grew up less than an hour away from Great American Ballpark.
And the thing tying this all together: Schwarber is a free agent after the season.
MORE: Twins’ Ryan Fitzgerald reminds us why we love sports after a career spent in the minor leagues
There have been mixed signals on whether Schwarber may return to Philadelphia. And if he ends up not going back to the Phillies, it appears the Reds very much want to be in the picture.
Reds pulling out all the stops for Kyle Schwarber.
They just had Schwarber catch ceremonial first pitches thrown out by his dad and his youth baseball coach.
Schwarber, of course, grew up less than an hour from Great American Ball Park.
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) August 12, 2025
Schwarber, 32, is in the midst of another prodigious power season.
The lefty has launched 42 home runs and driven in 97 runs, which both lead the NL right now.
In his first three full seasons with the Phillies, Schwarber hit 46 homers, then 47 homers, then 38 homers. He averaged 100 RBI per season in those campaigns.
He’s on pace to go beyond those marks this season while also hitting .252, which is his best batting average with the Phillies.
MORE: Athletics use the first switch-thrower in MLB history
Schwarber attended Middletown High School in southern Ohio before starring at Indiana University.
The Cubs took him No. 4 overall in 2014. He spent six seasons in Chicago, then a half-season each with Washington and Boston, before these last four seasons with the Phillies.
And if Schwarber decides to move on this offseason, the Reds have made it clear: “Pick me!”
MORE MLB NEWS:
