Rick McCrabb: Kyle Schwarber and Middie Way Baseball 'the perfect marriage'
Jan. 21—MIDDLETOWN — If not for the seeds that were planted more than 20 years ago on the dusty baseball diamonds at Smith Park, recent Major League Baseball history could have been rewritten.
Kyle Joseph Schwarber, then a young boy, may never have been introduced to the game of baseball, the same sport that has made him a multi-millionaire and a folk hero with fans of the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
"That's a real thing to think about," Schwarber said when asked if his life would have been different without baseball at Smith Park. "That's where I met all my friends growing up. Heck, I might not be playing baseball."
Schwarber's teams have qualified for the playoffs eight of his nine seasons in Major League Baseball, and he helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series over the Cleveland Indians, ending their 108-year drought.
Minutes before, Schwarber, sporting a black beard, Middie pullover jacket and baseball hat, accepted a $9,820 check from Middletown firefighters, proceeds from their annual golf tournament at Wildwood Golf Club.
The money was donated to Middie Way Baseball, a grassroots youth program that started three years ago in Middletown after knothole baseball was void for about 15 years. In the last three years, the golf outing has donated close to $35,000, said Lt. Mike Jones.
When the tournament organizers were looking for a worthy cause to support, youth baseball was an obvious choice, said Jones. Middie Way Baseball's board president is Greg Schwarber, Kyle's father and retired Middletown police chief.
"We wanted the fire department to be a staple and help something grow," Jones said Thursday afternoon after the check presentations at fire headquarters.
Schwarber, 30, a 2011 Middletown High School graduate, has supported charities in all the cities he has played through his nine-year career. He signed a four-year, $79 million deal two years ago with the Phillies.
He was the Phillies' nominee for the Robert Clemente Award for his work with Schwarber's Neighborhood Heroes, which started in 2017 "to express gratitude for the unique sacrifices of first responders and their families by creating positive experiences, as well as funding wellness, education and crisis needs for first-responder families."
It made sense to continue that process in Middletown where he and his wife, Paige, were raised. They have built a home in the Germantown area and are expecting their second son.
"This place is special to us," he said of Middletown. "It's always going to be special to us.".
Eventually, once Schwarber retires in 10 or so years, he will have more time to be hands-on with Middie Way Baseball. Right now he has attached his name to the organization.
Mark Kerns, a retired Middletown teacher and coach, called Schwarber "a great ambassador" for Middie Way Baseball and the entire city.
Combining Schwarber and youth baseball was "the perfect marriage," Kerns said.
Kerns said he wonders about the missed opportunities to introduce kids to baseball.
"I really feel bad for the kids who didn't have that opportunity," he said. "It sets the kids back. It puts everybody behind the 8 ball."
Eventually Little League baseball championships may find their way to Middletown. But it will take years. Greg Schwarber said 280 kids played two years ago and 306 played in 2023. He's expecting more this year.
The board plans to make some capital improvements to Goldman Park, home of Middie Way Baseball, Schwarber said. The board hopes to purchase equipment, batting cages and upgrade the shelter.
Make Goldman Park "a place to be proud of," he said.
Eventually, the snow-covered diamonds will be replaced by sun-splashed fields. Baseball will be back.
"That's heart-warming," Greg Schwarber said with a smile. "It puts me back a lot of years."
When his son was introduced to the game he now calls a career.
