Philadelphia Phillies icon Mike Schmidt strode slowly towards the rubber, then pivoted to the infield grass on Tuesday night, carefully measuring the room between his right arm and the waiting glove of Scott Rolen. A concerned onlooked might've assumed that Schmidt, 76 years old, was operating under an abundance of caution for Steve Carlton, 81, his fellow first-pitch honoree.
As it turned out, while Lefty Carlton's toss to Cole Hamels wasn't exactly a heater, nor was it a worm burner, Schmidt was actually being cautious of his own accord. He underhand tossed his first pitch towards the catcher, potentially surprising a good deal of fans amid the pomp and circumstance. If Schmidt couldn't summon a pinch of his greatness for this gilded occasion, too pained to lift his arm, then he's likely lost that spark entirely.
According to OnSI's Jeff Kerr, Schmidt was indeed unable to lift his right arm above his shoulder, despite his best efforts to muster a miraculous moment. As such, he's retiring from ceremonial first pitch duties - though he'd reconsider for a Phillies World Series opportunity, an admission that will surely reinvigorate the tingle in the city's collective spine that the underhand throw extinguished temporarily.
Mike Schmidt told me he was thinking of trying overhand for the first pitch, but he can’t lift his arm over his shoulder — so he was going to throw underhand.
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) July 15, 2026
Unless the #Phillies make the World Series, he said this is his last first pitch. pic.twitter.com/OsiAc8MYT3
Mike Schmidt Phillies first pitch history ahead of retirement at 2026 MLB All-Star Game
Well ... potential retirement.
Schmidt most recently tossed the first pitch out before Game 1 of the Phillies vs. Dodgers NLDS series last October, an ill-fated set (that first pitch was later sent into orbit by Teoscar Hernández after mutating a few times). Prior to recent years, he was a regular honoree, appearing everywhere from a co-appearance with George Brett before a Phillies-Royals game in 2013 to a2017 spring training contest.
Now, it appears his days of fighting through it have ended - unless, of course, Don Mattingly's crew continues to rise to the occasion and their remarkable turnaround strikes an October fever pitch. In that case, Schmidt will once again stretch, wince, and heave a measured toss. Odds are it'll look a lot like Tuesday night's, but the amount of heart behind the hoist will be immeasurable.
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