Proud Dad’s Viral Reaction Captures Magic As Schneider Launches World Series Home Run

Of course you are going to take a video if your son is the leadoff hitter in Game 5 of the World Series. But what happened next as Schneider’s home run sailed over the fence was pure magic. 

In the video, from their seats, on the first base side of home plate, you see Schneider at the plate. Then the hit happens. Then you hear: 

“Oh….Oh no…no way…no way…yaaaaa …oh my God….oh my God…oh my God…you gotta be kidding ….me….you gotta be kidding me….wowww…” 

The camera/phone is shaking; proud Dad (Steve) is getting high fives from all around him…the pure emotion of his voice sends chills up your spine. This is a pure joy. A happy moment that can never be recreated but now available online and going viral. 

Schneider’s Home Run Is As Unlikely As His Journey To Major League Baseball

Schneider was far from a top prospect shimmering with hype. He was a 28th-round draft pick out of high school in Berlin, NJ, in 2017, a round that no longer even exists in the MLB draft. It’s a staggering thought; in a slightly different reality, the rule changes could have erased his path to professional baseball before it ever began. 

His climb through the minor leagues was anything but smooth. It was a grinder’s tale, fraught with setbacks and uncertainty. The global pandemic stalled his progress, and inconsistent performances kept him in the lower rungs of the minors.  From that point on, it was a relentless battle, playing at every minor league level to prove he belonged, to carve out a place for himself in an organization brimming with more celebrated prospects.

When he was penciled into the lineup for his first Major League Game in August 2023, he hit a homerun in his first at bat. That great start did not guarantee anything. He still struggled to maintain a roster spot. This season, he was in Buffalo, the Triple A minor league team until his call up on June 1. 

The Schneider Mustache 

Fame can bring a lot to you. It suddenly puts your dad in the spotlight with one loud, beautiful, heartfelt celebration after a home run. It also makes your mustache fair game to an international throng of the press. 

A few years back Schneider had a full beard and a hitting slump. As the movie Top Gun once again reached its box office highs, the thought came to Schneider that perhaps a beard to fighter pilot mustache change could break his hitting slump. When the hitting started, the mustache stayed. 

Now we wait to see if the mustache and proud dad will have their World Series-winning moment. The Blue Jays can win the series Friday night in Toronto. For a short kid from New Jersey who was drafted in the 28th round, the story is too good to ignore. 

One thing is for certain: His dad will be there to cheer his boy on, and will not leave any emotion bottled up. Memo to dad if the Blue Jays win:  Please hit “video” on your phone …share the moment with us.