He caught the winning Home Run Derby ball. Then this Phillies fan did what ‘felt natural.’ He threw it back.
Cole Vanderslice caught Jordan Walker’s winning Home Run Derby ball on Monday night. But instead of keeping or selling it, the former Villanova pitcher threw it back on the field in a moment that felt “like a weird dream.”
Cole Vanderslice knew there was a chance he could leave Citizens Bank Park with a Home Run Derby ball. What he didn’t expect was that it would be the last one of the night.
Seated in Section 144 in left field on Monday, the former Villanova pitcher from Ocean City watched St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker launch his 12th and final homer of the championship round toward his section. The ball bounced off a row, then off a couple of gloves, and landed at Vanderslice’s feet.
There wasn’t much hesitation. Vanderslice, 25, a longtime Phillies fan who graduated from Villanova in 2023, made a bold, yet loyal decision to throw the Derby-winning ball back onto the field.
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“It was surreal,” Vanderslice said. “But for whatever reason, it just felt natural to throw it back. It’s like a weird dream. I think a lot of Philly fans might understand catching an opposing team’s ball. That one unfortunately had a little bit of stake to it, but I definitely accomplished the dream of launching a ball back onto the field.”
He also decided to play into the moment. Fans around Vanderslice began chanting at him — Throw it back! Throw it back! — after Walker crushed what would have been a fairy-tale ending for the home crowd: Kyle Schwarber winning the Derby in his own ballpark.
So Vanderslice rallied up the crowd, gesturing his hands upward for everyone to get louder. (He also wanted to buy himself some time so his friend could take a video.)
“It just speaks to the passion of Phillies fans,” he said. “It wasn’t just me thinking to throw it back. There were countless people in Phillies jerseys screaming throw it back, and people might say it’s the wrong thing to do. You could sell it for money. You could auction it off. You could give it back to Jordan Walker. Well, I did give it back to Jordan Walker.”
There was a split second he did consider keeping it — or he at least offered it to his friend, Ronnie Gabriel. In the end, though, he doesn’t regret the decision.
“I can laugh about it because I threw back the baseball, it doesn’t have that much weight to me,” Vanderslice said. “I thought it was a funny moment and a memory I’ll have forever … but everybody has an opinion of what they would do in my situation if they would throw it back. I guarantee most people wouldn’t — they would probably sell it. But there’s a small handful of us that there’s no question that ball’s going back.”
And why he did it makes sense considering who he is.
The Vanderslice family has a rich history of baseball. Cole’s late grandfather founded the Little League team, the Ocean City Youth Athletic Association, and later had a field named after him, Harry D. Vanderslice, Sr. Baseball Complex, in honor of his contributions.
Cole Vanderslice, the youngest of four, has had a ball and bat in his hands for as long as his family could remember. The sport shaped a handful of family memories, including when he pitched and won the Babe Ruth World Series in 2015 or when he led St. Augustine Preparatory School to a state title in 2018. He later pitched for Villanova across four season.
“Sports has always been really big with our family, and we talk about it a lot,” said his mother, Dawn. “Baseball is about so much more than baseball. I’m sure a lot of people who play sports know that it’s about so much more. The team, the bonding, the support, the love, the camaraderie. It’s just always been a really positive thing in all our lives. … Everybody really got into the whole baseball thing with Cole. It was a lot of fun. We really had a lot of fun.”
Dawn and her husband, Harry, were on-and-off season ticket holders with the Eagles and Phillies for about 20 years. She said attending Phillies games with Cole were some of her fondest memories of the two together.
His parents are no longer season ticket holders since Vanderslice now lives in New York City, where he works.
He landed tickets to the Home Run Derby last minute. When Vanderslice finished work at 5 p.m. on Monday, he hopped on a train to Philadelphia, where Gabriel picked him up around 7 p.m., just in time for the Derby.
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While some might not agree with his decision to throw Walker’s ball back on the field, his parents say, “he is a different cat and true to his roots.”
And it’s an experience Vanderslice will never forget.
“The atmosphere was incredible,” he added. “For all the hitters, it was awesome. They put on a show, especially Kyle Schwarber — hearing the change from the cheers to the boos was impressive. From start to finish, it was really cool to see.”
