Best moments from the 2023 Celebrity Softball Game
Dawn Klemish
@Sportsgal25SEATTLE -- The savvy way Sean Duane fielded media interviews pregame Saturday had some asking which celebrity he was.
In reality, Duane had won the MLB Moments contest that resulted in an all-expenses-paid trip to Seattle to hang out with the Celebrity Softball gang for a day.
¡°We got to hang out over at the hotel, then we hung out in the locker room before in the concierge area out there,¡± Duane said. ¡°And then walking into the locker room and seeing my jersey next to Bret Boone¡¯s? This is amazing.¡±
Duane certainly got his money¡¯s worth Saturday, driving in a run in his first at-bat. Umpires ruled Duane tagged out trying to reach second on the throw home, and he held a conversation with the second-base umpire long enough to draw his manager, F¨¦lix Hern¨¢ndez, out to gently guide him off the field, where he received fist bumps all around from his teammates.
Each time he came to the plate, the scoreboards around the park lit up with ¡°Make noise for Sean Duane!¡±, so Duane was also treated to the red carpet treatment of hearing a Major League park full of fans cheering for him.
¡°[MLB] reached out [and told me I won], and I was freaking out,¡± he said. ¡°It didn¡¯t feel real until I got to the airport, and even then, not until I was actually boarding the flight. I was like, ¡®If this is a prank, this is the most elaborate one ever.¡¯¡±
Zach attack
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine jacked two home runs for Team Finch during their 21-19 loss, but he¡¯ll be most remembered for his home run robbery in the third inning.
Mike Cameron -- who is tied for the MLB record of home runs in a game (four) -- lifted a ball high and deep to left field and was fully into his home run trot with a grin from ear to ear until he saw LaVine sprinting in from left field to back up urban music legend Yandel. LaVine -- who¡¯s 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan -- arrived just in time to sky high and pull in the ball, knocking off Yandel¡¯s cap during the highlight-reel-worthy snag.
Cameron¡¯s smile didn¡¯t slip a bit: He stopped in his tracks to doff his cap at LaVine, who saluted him in turn.
Touch ¡®em all ¡ often
Ryan Howard retired from baseball six years ago but picked up right where he left off with a home run in the first inning.
It wasn¡¯t quite the kind of dinger fans had come to expect from the prolific slugger, though. Howard sent one to deep right field that Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim couldn¡¯t get to and motored around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, drawing some good-natured chuckles from both dugouts.
Howard¡¯s was the first round-tripper of the game and featured the debut of game sponsor Corona¡¯s home run robe, an adaptation of the popular home run celebrations many MLB teams have adopted this season.
Howard treated fans to a more typical home run in his next at-bat, and the Corona robe got plenty of action during the contest, with 14 homers hit in the five-inning game. Boone, LaVine and music producer Foreign Teck each had two; and Cameron, YouTuber Mark Rober, artist/songwriter JP Saxe, actor/comedian Joel McHale (another Little League homer), Yandel, Pitch Perfect star Skyler Astin, former MLB star Adam Jones and Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell hit one apiece.
Oh Captain, my Captain(s)
It was only fitting that the managers of each team were two of the greatest pitchers in their respective sports, softball legend Jennie Finch and MLB¡¯s Hern¨¢ndez, who threw a perfect game in 2012.
And when Hern¨¢ndez stepped to the plate in the second inning, Finch couldn¡¯t resist the chance to blast a first-pitch fastball, windmill style, right past him as he backed off the plate in surprise. The two engaged in a brief staredown afterward, Hern¨¢ndez with eyes wide in surprise and Finch laughing, before she relented and tossed a high arc that he grounded into right-center field for a base hit.
Hern¨¢ndez exacted his revenge in the bottom of the second, taking a Jones pitch deep and over the right-field wall. Later, when Hern¨¢ndez was back on the hill in the fourth, his teammates picked up bright yellow ¡°K¡± signs behind him in the field and waved them around to draw a raucous cheer from the crowd in a throwback to the beloved Seattle pitcher¡¯s 15-year career with the Mariners.
Just like so many times before, King F¨¦lix did not disappoint his court, striking out Yandel to the delight of everyone tuning in, especially Duane, who can now add ¡°caught a F¨¦lix Hern¨¢ndez strikeout¡± to his list of brags from his sweepstakes win.
Go, JoJo!
Internet sensation JoJo Siwa made a splash last year in her first Celebrity Softball Game, and despite admitting to being extremely nervous about how it would go, her inside-the-park home run was one of the highlights of last season¡¯s event. This year, there were no jitters related to the game itself, only to who surrounded her in the dugout.
¡°JoJo Siwa? That girl is a damn slugger,¡± Pitch Perfect star Adam Devine said. ¡°She hit one out last year. Thank God we¡¯ve got her on our team.¡±
Siwa was dialed in in the cages over at Lumen Field during pregame batting practice, spraying line drives across the field at PLAY BALL Park. After a pushup in the on-deck circle for good measure, she strode to the plate as her walkup song boomed ¡°Take Me Out to the Ballgame.¡±
¡°It feels like a fever dream,¡± Siwa said of being surrounded by Howard, Finch and the other stars.