Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber, a former Middletown High School Middies standout who entered Sunday leading the National League with 23 home runs this season, did an in-game interview with ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" during his team's game against the St. Louis Cardinals and joked during the 2nd inning of the broadcast about how he was unable to fulfill his grandmother's wish for him to emulate National Baseball Hall of Famer and former Big Red Machine great Johnny Bench.
Schwarber, a catcher for the Indiana Hoosiers, caught in 21 of his 69 games in his first season for the Chicago Cubs in 2015, but he's played just eight innings at catcher over his seven seasons since. And he has not caught for his past three teams - the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox and the Phillies.
"My grandma was a huge Johnny Bench fan (when I was) growing up in Cincinnati. She was a big baseball - just a big baseball rat. And I just remember sitting in the car when I was young, and she said, 'I want you to grow up to be like Johnny Bench.' And that's when I was catching. So look at me now - I'm in left field."
Video from @MLB via Twitter:
Schwarber was a free agent who played the 2021 postseason and part of last season for the Boston Red Sox after a July trade from the Washington Nationals when he agreed in March to a four-year deal with the Phillies worth about $20 million per year. Days later, the Phillies added free agent and former Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos.
In January, Schwarber became the first to have his Middies' baseball jersey - No. 12 - retired, during halftime of a Middletown boys' basketball game that Schwarber attended at Wade E. Miller Arena. In March, Schwarber was among Middletown Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, for his achievements in football and baseball in the Class of 2011.
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