Rumors circulated among Philadelphia Phillies fans on social media prior to Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park that Kyle Schwarber would be given the keys to the city.
The speculation first surfaced on X from Jack Fritz, an afternoon radio show host on SportsRadio 94WIP, when he posted at 10:03 a.m. ET that Schwarber was receiving the ceremonial honor.
“BREAKING: The city of Cincinnati is giving Kyle Schwarber the keys to the city before today’s game in addition to yesterday’s first pitch,” Fritz wrote. “A truly unprecedented move to lure the big time free agent to the city.”
BREAKING:
— Jack Fritz (@JackFritzWIP) August 13, 2025
The city of Cincinnati is giving Kyle Schwarber the keys to the city before today’s game in addition to yesterday’s first pitch.
A truly unprecedented move to lure the big time free agent to the city.
The rumor gained traction when Amy Fadool Kane, a reporter and anchor for NBC Sports Philadelphia, posted at 1:24 p.m. that Schwarber was indeed receiving the keys, citing reporter Bob Cooney.
“Texted our man on the scene @BobCooney76 to see what nonsense the Reds were up to today with Kyle Schwarber, after I figured they were the ones to give his dad & coach tickets for first pitch. I thought Bob was kidding with giving the ‘key to the city’ reply. He’s not. They are,” Kane wrote.
Texted our man on the scene @BobCooney76 to see what nonsense the Reds were up to today with Kyle Schwarber, after I figured they were the ones to give his dad & coach tickets for first pitch.
— Amy Fadool Kane (@amyfadoolNBCS) August 13, 2025
I thought Bob was kidding with giving the “key to the city” reply. He’s not. They are. pic.twitter.com/NiC7kMs8yg
At 1:57 p.m., popular Philly sports blog Crossing Broad amplified the story, attributing their report to Nati Sports.
The rumor began over 13 hours after Schwarber caught the ceremonial first pitch from his father and former youth baseball coach before Tuesday night’s game. The Reds honored Greg Schwarber and Ron Groh for their involvement with Middie Way Youth Baseball & Softball.
Schwarber — a free agent after the season — grew up in Middletown, Ohio, just over 30 miles from Cincinnati. The Reds were his childhood team, and he recently told The Athletic it’s “natural” to think about playing for your hometown club.
“I’ve always said that at some point in your career, if you would ask the childhood Kyle what team you’d like to play for, it would be Cincinnati,” Schwarber said. “I think those are natural thoughts, that it would be appealing. But you never know what happens in free agency. Going through it a couple of times now, it’s an interesting scenario.”
However, despite the social media buzz, the rumor proved false. Sportsnaut received confirmation from the Cincinnati Mayor’s Office that Schwarber was not receiving the keys to the city.
Schwarber is having an MVP-caliber season in the final year of his $79 million deal signed before the 2022 season. He has easily outproduced that contract, blasting 173 home runs in four seasons with Philadelphia, including three 40-homer campaigns. He could command $30 million or more on the open market this offseason.
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