The stars play ball: Highlights from Big Slick’s annual softball game at The K
The things Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey do on the field at Kauffman Stadium aren’t easy. Just ask the celebrities in town for Big Slick Friday, May 30.
The fundraising event put together by Kansas Citians Jason Sudeikis, Paul Rudd, Rob Riggle, Eric Stonestreet, Heidi Gardner and David Koechner features multiple events over three days — one of which saw over 40 celebrities take the field before a Royals game to play in their annual softball game.
Fans packed the lower bowl of the arena on the sunny Friday afternoon to catch comedians, actors, musicians and magicians try their hand at hitting a softball from former Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Many of them succeeded, while stars like “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kenan Thompson were told to run to first base after swinging and missing four consecutive times.
The stars played through four innings in 45 minutes in a game that saw dropped balls, home runs, more swings and misses and even teammates tackling each other.
Here’s what went down as the blue team, led by Gardner, Riggle and Stonestreet, played against the white team, led by Rudd and Sudeikis. Koechner opted out of running the bases and sat at the commentary desk for the game.
A tribute to Norm
Before the game started at 5:15 p.m., Koechner led the Kauffman Stadium crowd in a tribute to George Wendt, the actor most known for playing Norm on the hit television sitcom “Cheers” in the 1980s.
Wendt, who was the uncle of Sudeikis, died last week. He was a staple at Big Slick events, appearing at the first event in 2010 and in 2024, where they recreated his famous “Superfans” sketch in front of the T-Mobile Center crowd.
Koechner asked the crowd to repeat: “Hey hey, George Wendt, we love you.” The audience also waved their hats in the air and saluted the beloved actor, who would usually sit in a seat behind home plate and be the softball game’s umpire.
“He’s going to be felt, his absence is here,” Rudd said about Wendt Friday at a press conference, noting how Wendt was as much a part of Big Slick “as any of us. He’s a really, really sweet guy. I love him.”
“With regard to Uncle George,” Sudeikis said, “there’s that old saying, don’t meet your heroes because they usually let you down. But he’s not one of those people. He’s as fun and kind and warm as any character he played on television or films.”
Sudeikis was wearing a jersey with Wendt on the nameplate during the game.
(Not so much) athleticism on display at The K
While Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce weren’t in attendance for the softball game like they were in years past, one celebrity put on an athletic display in the outfield all game long.
Anthony Hill, who was born in Springfield and raised in Kansas City, showed off his defensive abilities, catching any fly ball that came his way. The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor drew loud applause from the crowd with every catch, robbing anyone and everyone of a hit.
It was a complete 180 from most of the celebrities in the field.
Thompson, who’s the longest running “SNL” cast member in the show’s 50-year history, wasn’t the only one awarded a base after failing to hit the ball.
Earlier in the game, actress Becky Ann Baker, who plays the mom of Sudeikis’ character Ted Lasso on the hit Apple TV show of the same name, also walked to first base after swinging and missing four times in a row.
Rudd dropped a baseball while wearing an oversized glove, and Blue Springs singer and winner of “American Idol” David Cook, decked out in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shorts, lost his shoe running to first base.
Fellow “American Idol” alum Chris Daughtry ran into “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville at first base after hitting the ball later on, and Guthrie found himself tackling Rudd to prevent him from to tagging comedian Sarah Tiana out at second base.
Home run derby
The game was controlled chaos, as the Potash Twins told The Star it would be beforehand. The honor system was tested on recorded outs, and Koechner was calling everything a ball and allowing runners who were out to stay on base and run around the path.
Magician Blake Vogt pulled a bat out of his backpack and secured a hit with it, which no one was sure if that was legal under celebrity softball rules.
One thing that couldn’t be challenged — the home runs.
Three celebrities smashed a softball over the fence that sat around 30 feet from the diamond, and they were mobbed by their fellow teammates at home plate after each one.
The first home was run hit by none other than Superman himself, actor Tyler Hoechlin. His three-run home run gave the blue team an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Koechner called out that Guthrie was pitching from second base since he was scared of Superman, and with one swing, it was easy to see why.
The second home run was pounded by actor Bill Glass, who slowly trotted around the base path after it landed in center field away from the endless amount of defenders standing in the outfield. The 80-year-old’s two-run home run brought the game closer for the white team, making it 4-4 in the third inning.
The third home run was no joke, as “Impractical Jokers” star Sal Vulcano also launched a ball over the fence in the fourth inning to give the blue team a 10-7 lead. Each run proved to be vital, as the game ended in a 10-10 tie after Knoxville ran into the outfield to tackle actor Samm Levine, triggering the annual bench-clearing “brawl” between the two teams.
Somewhere in the middle of the brawl, Sudeikis picked up and stole the second and third bases from the field before both teams gathered for a family photo, along with Royals mascot Sluggerrr and team owner John Sherman.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM.
