Yanks host 162 Games of Catch at founder's 'field of dreams'

NEW YORK -- The first of Dan Reischel’s ‘162 Games of Catch’ took place in a Pennsylvania driveway. The last ones were across the Yankee Stadium outfield, including a few prized minutes in which Aaron Judge aired out his right arm. It has been the journey of a lifetime.

Reischel’s project was sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the married father of four aiming to spend time with friends and family after months of isolation. That simple exchange of throwing and catching reminds of childhood and the wonders of this sport, celebrated on Friday as the Yankees concluded this year’s edition of HOPE Week.

“This is where it all starts,” Judge said. “It makes me think about the times I’d play catch with my dad out in the front yard or at the baseball field. My dad just got done working, he was tired and wanted to rest up, but he always took the time to spend five minutes with me outside. Those are the memories I hold on to.”

Reischel said that baseball has always been a touchstone in his family; strapping on a glove seemed an easy and fun way to get outside and reconnect. The first catch was early in February 2021 with his 12-year-old daughter, Addison, sparking Reischel’s desire to knock out 161 more -- a nod to the number of games in a Major League Baseball season.

“It was exactly one year into the pandemic; I hadn’t seen my brothers, I hadn’t seen my parents for a whole year,” Reischel said. “I was trying to think, what is the way I could catch up with the people I’ve missed and meet some new people? Playing catch was the perfect socially distanced way to do that, and it just took off from there.”

Judge, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rizzo, Aroldis Chapman, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Michael King, Lucas Luetge and Joey Gallo participated in Friday's event, tossing baseballs with local youth players, who were then invited to visit Monument Park.

The Yankees also made a $10,000 donation to the New York City Parks Department, intended to maintain Heritage Field -- the site of the original Yankee Stadium -- so residents can continue to play ball there for years to come.

“There’s some magic in this game,” Judge said. “It’s about blocking everything else out. It’s just you and your partner playing catch, and that’s all that matters. It’s just back and forth, a simple task, but it’s something that people never forget.”

Reischel’s journey involved family members, friends and more than a few strangers. The only goals were catch and conversation, which Reischel said felt like steps back in time, the sessions generally veering into stories about favorite moments experiencing a beloved game.

Among Reischel’s greatest hits: former Yankees pitcher Bobby Shantz (age 96), celebrated former Little Leaguer Mo’ne Davis, and Lindsay and Larry Berra III (Yogi’s grandchildren).

When possible, he tossed in significant locations: on the site of the old Yankee Stadium (a catch that included a certain MLB.com Yankees beat reporter), at a park near Lou Gehrig’s former home in Larchmont, N.Y., and at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Reischel’s initial goal was to have 162 catches before year’s end in 2021, but he had to pause to care for his wife, Megan, who underwent a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy this past winter to combat her increasingly severe multiple sclerosis.

Resuming his pursuit in 2022, Reischel intended for catch No. 162 to take place with his father, Frank, at the idyllic Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. Thanks to the Yankees and HOPE Week, father and son concluded the project on Friday in an even more perfect setting.

“This,” Reischel said, “is our field of dreams.”