Matthew Tkachuk (left) and Jayson Tatum throw out the first pitch before Sunday’s Cardinals home game.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk have a friendship that dates back to high school. On Sunday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, they took a trip into the wayback machine.
Tatum and Tkachuk, who both attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, returned to the city to throw out the first pitch before the Cardinals’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The viral moment, though, came during the game as the duo recreated a viral photo of themselves as students at the school during Sunday’s game.
This time, though, they are both the star players for their respective teams after both won championships in 2024 after the Celtics ousted the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals and the Panthers held off the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
How it started ➡️ How it's going.
Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk reunited with childhood classmate Jacob B. to recreate their famous bus photo at the ballpark today!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/Y0ty2mIdf0
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 18, 2024
Former classmates Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk returned to The STL for some championship-caliber first pitches pic.twitter.com/wZryvlGi0H
— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2024
Tkachuk left Chaminade in the ninth grade to join the U.S. National Team Development Program, but remained friends with Tatum. The two were cheering one another on during their respective title runs this summer.
“Yeah it’s actually really cool when you think about it,” Tkachuk told Tracey Myers of NHL.com in June. “Everyone from St. Louis, whether they were going to watch or not, with having both of us in, I’d say there’s a lot of people, especially the kids we grew up with and families and people who know us, they’re pulling for both teams. It’s super cool to have that support back home for not only myself, but for the Celtics as well.”
