Miracle League All-Star Game brings smiles, joy to all participants

ATLANTA -- Jesse Reese took his stance in left field at Deer Park Diamond, made his read off the bat and sprung into action when he saw the ball hit his way down the left-field line. He sprinted over and reached up, plucking the ball out of the air.

“I knew I was going to catch it,” Reese said. “When you’re playing the outfield, you have to know where the ball is going to be at all times. I know where it’s going to be at.”

Reese, a 24-year-old from Johns Creek, Ga., was one of the participants in the 2025 Miracle League All-Star Game at PLAY BALL PARK, located within the Cobb Galleria. The game, a collaborative effort between Miracle League, the Braves and MLB, provides an opportunity for people with disabilities to play baseball and has been a staple of All-Star Week for many years.

Sunday’s edition of the game featured guest appearances from MLB mascots such as Mr. and Mrs. Met, Billy the Marlin, Screech (Nationals) and Freedom the Eagle, USA Baseball’s official mascot, who cheered on the players while interacting with them on the field. United States women’s national baseball team head coach Veronica Alvarez served as one of the coaches for the game.

Braves legend and 1995 World Series champion Marquis Grissom offered a piece of advice to the players right before he threw out the first pitch to AL player Albert Williams.

“Have fun,” Grissom reminded everyone in attendance.

“That Miracle League event right there is my favorite event of the year,” said James Lowe, the emcee of the game who goes by the nickname Coach Ballgame. “These kids have life figured out. They choose joy every day. They’re the most joyful, the most kind, they’re such great teammates for each other.”

That was evident in the way each player unabashedly supported one another throughout the day. They dapped the opposing player up when they got on base, directed them through the basepaths and high-fived everyone down the line as they crossed home plate. There was also the bongo drum, decorated with signatures from legendary MLB figures such as Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter, that the batter on deck would bang on relentlessly, cheering on the current at-bat as they awaited their turn.

Steven Schnarr, who played on the AL team against his younger brother, Mitch, and towered over most of the other players, was urged by his teammates to showcase some of his power. He did exactly that when he demolished two pitches into the outfield netting for two home runs, punctuating each inning as the final batter.

“I just had to unleash,” Schnarr said. “[The contact] felt like nothing, to be honest. So that’s how I knew it was really good. … It was awesome. To get to play along [my brother], that’s a treasure in itself. I was happy they let me play, and Mitch is always happy to play. Softball, baseball, anything.”

Mike Haynes, executive director of North Metro Miracle League, first began coaching 22 years ago. Throughout his 10-year NFL career -- most of them with the Atlanta Falcons -- he would volunteer at the local hospital on his off-days, so volunteering with Miracle League was an easy transition once his playing days were over.

“We don’t care what your disability is. If you want to come play ball with us, we play ball,” he said. “... We try to make sure that everybody’s included. A lot of times, you have special needs folks who have brothers and sisters that are out playing games and they get to watch. We want to put them in the game.”

For Noah Reese, younger brother of Jesse, he liked that he was just able to just have fun, and show off his skills while doing it.

After the game ended, the players each took one final lap around the bases and got some parting words from Coach Ballgame before breaking for lunch.

“It was so, so awesome. They just filled up my heart with joy,” he said. “I loved those kids today.”