The stars were out in full force Tuesday night for the Phillies’ first World Series home game in 13 years, bringing no shortage of A-list celebrities to Philadelphia. Among those in attendance were actor Miles Teller of Whiplash and Top Gun: Maverick fame, Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, former World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz (“Chooch!), Brad Lidge and three-time Grammy winner Tim McGraw. When McGraw was shown on the stadium jumbotron, proudly donning a powder-blue Tug McGraw jersey, a number of fans took to Twitter to express their surprise, many of them learning for the first time that the country music star’s father enjoyed a 19-year MLB career as a left-handed pitcher for the Mets (1965-74) and Phillies (1975-84).
A former All-Star and two-time World Series champion, McGraw’s 94 saves rank as the sixth-most in franchise history, trailing only Lidge, Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Mesa, Steve Bedrosian and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams. McGraw and his father had, to say the least, an unorthodox relationship, with Tug not acknowledging Tim as his son until his late teens. In spite of their earlier estrangement (they only met twice during his childhood), the two would later become close with McGraw honoring his late father by spreading his ashes on the pitcher’s mound when he appeared at Citizens Bank Park during the 2008 World Series. Tim was a standout player himself before injuring his knee in college, ultimately pivoting to a career in music.
The electric atmosphere at CBP Tuesday night could only be matched by the Phillies’ scorching-hot bats, putting on a clinic with five home runs, bringing their postseason total to 22 with 17 of those coming at home. The Phillies, who limped into the playoffs as the National League’s third and final Wild Card team, can stretch their series lead to 3-1 with another win in Wednesday night’s Game 4, with first pitch scheduled for 8:03 PM ET on Fox. Cristian Javier and Aaron Nola are the probable starters for Houston and Philadelphia, respectively.
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