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PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — What started as a night of cheering on their favorite Philadelphia Phillies player turned into a memory Stephen Bennis and his 7-year-old son, Cade, say they’ll never forget.
The Philadelphia father and son attended Monday night’s MLB Home Run Derby, hoping to watch Kyle Schwarber compete. Instead, Stephen Bennis walked away with one of Schwarber’s home runs after making a catch during the final round.
The moment was years in the making.
Inside the Bennis family home, boxes of baseball cards fill the shelves, with Schwarber featured more than anyone else. Many of those cards are signed after the family had the opportunity to meet the Phillies’ designated hitter.
Stephen Bennis, a Philadelphia police captain, said Cade got a chance to meet his hero through a special program.
“We had the opportunity through the Schwarber Neighborhood Heroes Program of families behind the badge to actually meet Schwarber during Mental Health Awareness Month,” Stephen Bennis said.
Cade Bennis said the experience only made him admire Schwarber more.
“He’s a very nice guy,” he said.
With Schwarber competing in the Home Run Derby, the Bennis family knew exactly who they were cheering for. But early in the competition, Stephen said it appeared the night might not unfold the way they had hoped.
“Pretty disheartened at first for the little guy when a lot of the hits weren’t really going our way,” Stephen Bennis said.
Then came Schwarber’s third home run of the final round.
Stephen Bennis made the catch as the crowd erupted, immediately turning to his son and shouting, “I got it, Cade, I got it!” before the two celebrated together.
“Daddy said, ‘I got it, Cade!’ and then I jumped on him,” he said.
For Stephen Bennis, the catch carried meaning beyond bringing home a baseball. He said it reminded him of attending the 1996 Home Run Derby with his own father, creating what he described as a full-circle moment shared across three generations of Phillies fans. Now, Stephen Bennis hopes the tradition continues.
“The next time we get one in this city — it might be another 30 years,” Stephen Bennis said. “So, he’ll be taking his son one day.”
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