This season, Reds players weren’t the only ones to take the field. Wives and significant others of the big leaguers put a bat in their hands and took some swings for a great cause.
During the annual battle for the coveted Ohio Cup, which pits the Reds against their in-state rivals in Cleveland, Reds and Guardians families got together for some friendly competition of their own while raising awareness and funds for CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.
The idea for the collaboration started last season and was spearheaded by Jordyn Pagán, wife of Reds pitcher Emilio Pagán. But the genesis of the idea goes back even farther to 2019, when the Pagáns were in Tampa while Emilio pitched for the Rays. During Spring Training that year, the wives of the Rays and Twins held a charity softball game. When the 2020 pandemic halted the charity games for several years, and with the Pagáns moving to multiple cities as life in baseball often dictates, planning something similar hadn’t panned out.
But in 2024, with the Pagáns now in Cincinnati, Jordyn was put in touch with Samantha Kwan, then-girlfriend and now wife of Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan. They started talking through some ideas to do something similar to what the Rays and Twins had done. While they weren’t able to finalize plans during Spring Training, they found the perfect fit by tying it in with the Ohio Cup.
From there, it was about identifying a charity or organization as the beneficiary for the fundraiser. CASA supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth who have experienced abuse or neglect. Their mission is to give vulnerable children a voice in the courtroom and a safe and permanent home. It’s certainly a worthwhile cause, and one that both sides were eager to get behind.
“We wanted to find a charity that was both in Cleveland and Cincinnati, so when we started looking, Samantha was able to find CASA and we loved what they were doing for foster kids and the community,” Pagán said. “It was awesome to collaborate with Samantha and the Guardians’ wives to raise money for CASA. We were also able to collaborate with some other companies, and they each donated a portion of their proceeds to CASA as well!”
During the first series in Cincinnati, the Reds’ families set up tables in the First Star Fan Zone with $50 autographed mystery balls and held a silent auction featuring game-worn, signed gear such as hats, bats and gloves. Three weeks later, during the return series in Cleveland, the Guardians held their portion of the fundraiser and hosted the softball game.
Jordyn admitted the softball game itself may not have gone Cincinnati’s way, but the Reds did get the nod when it came to funds raised. Thanks to their dedication and shared passion for helping vulnerable children, both teams raised a combined total of $18,500 for CASA -- with $11,000 raised by the Reds’ families. Not to mention, the Reds took five of six games from the Guardians in the season series to bring the Ohio Cup back to Cincinnati.
Either way, it was a win for both ballclubs, and more importantly, a win for CASA and children in need. Jordyn and a couple other Reds wives presented the $11,000 check to CASA representatives during a pregame ceremony at Great American Ball Park on June 24.
With the success of this year’s event, these efforts are hopefully just the beginning.
“We are excited to continue this partnership with the Guardians’ wives and make this an annual event,” Jordyn Pagán said. “I think it was so fun getting to see a lot of the fans while we were doing our auction this year. We are looking forward to Reds Country partnering with us on fun events during the season, and we can’t wait to raise more money for CASA in the future!”
Additional companies supporting partners included:
Routine Coffee
@getunderdogs (PR)
Sora
League Park
Nuclear Printing Co