Phils Royalty Gets the Ball: Schmidt and Carlton Will Throw First Pitches at the 2026 ASG

Citizens Bank Park is about to become a museum of Phillies greatness for one night. And not just because of the All-Star Game itself.

Before Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic gets underway, four legends who defined eras in Philadelphia will take the field for the ceremonial first pitches. MLB confirmed the lineup: Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton will do the throwing. Behind the plate to catch? Two more Phillies icons in Scott Rolen and Cole Hamels.

That’s some serious history for a crowd that already lives and breathes it.

Schmidt spent all 18 of his big-league seasons in a Phillies uniform. He brought a World Series title home in 1980, made 12 All-Star teams and won three MVPs. His No. 20 hangs in the rafters where it belongs. There’s not much left to say about Schmidt that hasn’t been said. But seeing him back on that mound in a Phillies jersey — even for a ceremonial toss — will hit different for fans who remember the glory years.

Carlton was right there with him in 1980. That season he won the Cy Young, one of four he’d rack up over his 15 years in Philadelphia. He also pulled off the pitching Triple Crown in 1972. His No. 32 is retired too. The guy was a machine. Left-handed, dominant, and somehow even more intimidating than the numbers suggest.

Then there’s Rolen. He broke in with the Phillies in 1996 and won Rookie of the Year the following season. He only spent seven years in Philly before moving on, but those years included two of his eight Gold Gloves. The team put him on the Wall of Fame. That counts for something.

Hamels is the guy who delivered the 2008 World Series. He took home MVP honors in both the NLCS and that Fall Classic. Ten years in Philadelphia, three Cy Youngs, and a legacy that still has fans arguing about where he ranks among the all-time greats. Not a bad reason to have him behind the plate catching a pitch from Carlton.

The All-Star Game itself will feature the best players in baseball tonight. But the pregame ceremony gives Phillies fans a chance to remember why this franchise matters in the first place.

They don’t do nostalgia quite like Philadelphia. And tonight, they don’t have to.