CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Kyle Schwarber watched Jack Hughes score the golden goal from the Phillies' dugout on Sunday morning at BayCare Ballpark.
Schwarber was there for an interview with a Japanese television crew, but he had the perfect view of the iconic shot on the new videoboard in right field.
Schwarber cheered, then explained to the crew why the moment was so significant. Team USA beat Canada in overtime to win its first Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that beat the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, N.Y., before going on to win gold.
“One of the more exciting hockey games in a long time,” Schwarber said.
Several hundred yards away at Carpenter Complex, Phillies right-hander Brad Keller played catch with teammate Jonathan Bowlan.
They heard a roar from beyond BayCare Ballpark’s tiki bar in left field.
“We must’ve just won,” Keller said.
Not long after that, Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper watched every second of the gold medal ceremony from a spot in the home clubhouse. It was an emotional moment as Team USA brought the late Johnny Gaudreau’s two children onto the ice for a team photo. The South Jersey native, a prospective Team USA member before his death, was tragically killed in 2024.
“So proud to be an American,” Harper said later on the Phillies’ TV broadcast.
Harper, Schwarber and Keller will have an opportunity to win their own gold medal next month in the World Baseball Classic.
They will play for Team USA.
“This is our time to represent our country,” Schwarber said. “It gives you that motivation, right? From three years ago, a little bit of the bad taste there in your mouth, where you walk away with a silver, not a gold.”
Schwarber, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto played on Team USA in the 2023 tournament. They lost in the championship to Japan.
That game famously ended with Shohei Ohtani striking out former Angels teammate Mike Trout.
“That was kind of the movie part there,” Schwarber said. “You’re just sitting there on the rail and you just kind of take it in where you have two of the best going at it. You’re just kind of sitting on the rail there going, ‘Wow, this a pretty cool moment.’”
But it wasn’t what Team USA wanted, which is why Schwarber isn’t sure where his silver medal is.
“We only cared about the gold one,” he said. “We don’t care about the second place one.”
Schwarber committed to play for Team USA in December.
“It’s like the no-doubt thing when they ask you,” Schwarber said. “Yeah, absolutely. You just go, ‘Yes.’”
Harper said yes in December, too. He committed to play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but he gave up his spot while he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He twice represented the United States as an amateur.
“There’s nothing like it,” Harper said about wearing a Team USA jersey. “You can try to think that there’s something like it, but there’s not.”
Team USA pitching coach Andy Pettitte texted and called Keller in December about his interest. He wanted to make sure that Keller would be totally committed to play for the United States.
“Yeah, I’m all in,” Keller said. “But I also just signed with the Phillies. Literally, I was in the airport right after my physical flying home when he called me. I was like, ‘I don’t know anyone going into camp, it’s a new team, new everything.’ I didn’t hear anything back from them for a while, then DeRo [Team USA manager Mark DeRosa] called [in January].”
Keller got that call while he was at a rehearsal dinner for a wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He called DeRosa back the next day.
Unlike Harper and Schwarber, Keller has never represented his country before.
“I’m excited for it,” he said.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was one of a few passionate Canadians at BayCare Ballpark on Sunday. He watched overtime on TV in between his daily duties.
“That’s one of the best games you’ll ever see,” he said. “Hey, [Canada] had a lot of chances. [Team USA goalie Connor] Hellebuyck stood on his head. He was great.”
Schwarber, Harper and Keller hope for a similar moment in a few weeks. Because those moments stick with people forever, whether they are playing or watching.
“Back in the day, the TV dinners,” Schwarber said. “Go get the pull-out tray, you throw it on the couch, all the family sitting down at night. We're watching the Olympics. We’re watching the gymnasts. … the swimming, the diving -- those were all big ones. I loved watching the sprinters run.
“That was the cool thing. You’re watching all these different sports you have no clue about, but you're rooting so hard for your country. That’s the beautiful thing.”