Delco kids wore Tigers gear to claim their hometown hero

Kevin McGonigle received the American League Rookie of the Year award on Monday, a honor that resonated deeply in Delaware County. For a generation of local children, the Detroit Tigers shortstop is no longer just a star player. He is a neighbor who grew up in the same backyard pitching machine as they did.

The connection is visible in the county’s Halloween traditions. Seven-year-old Finn Reilley from Springfield did not merely wear a Tigers jersey. His mother, Becky Reilley, stitched a green blazer to replicate the one McGonigle wore at the July All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Reilley cut patches from a Bonner-Prendie shirt and had a Delco patch sewn in at the Springfield Mall. The boy wore the blazer over his uniform, baseball pants, and an orange undershirt to school’s Halloween parade. He kept the blazer as a surprise for Halloween night, walking downstairs to show it to his family.

Reilley was not alone. Bonner-Prendie coach Steve DeBarberie noted that kids across Delaware County went trick-or-treating in Detroit gear. DeBarberie said he never expected to own merchandise from another MLB team while coaching in a county known for its die-hard Phillies fans.

McGonigle’s statistics explain the local pride. He hit .278 with a .806 OPS and started 155 games. His 7.1 Wins Above Replacement led all American League players, not just rookies. He led the league with 707 plate appearances and became the fourth rookie since 2000 to reach base at least 266 times.

The Tigers drafted McGonigle in the first round of the 2023 draft and signed him to an eight-year contract worth $150 million in April. He split time between shortstop and third base. He turned 22 in August and played everyday this season.

McGonigle watched the award ceremony at Barnaby’s in Havertown with about 50 friends and family members. He received 28 of the 30 first-place votes. During a dinner with friends, he ran into one of the children who dressed as him. The boy brought a baseball card of McGonigle to give to the player.

"I didn't think anyone would be me for Halloween," McGonigle said. "It was really cool to run into him."

DeBarberie described McGonigle as a gamer who did not ask for days off. The player went from 81 games in the previous year to 155 starts this season. McGonigle said the support from Delaware County drives him to play hard every day.

McGonigle returned to his childhood bedroom in Aldan in July before the All-Star Game. He met Chase Utley, the player his father told him to study. McGonigle admired Utley’s hustle and refusal to let pitches go by. Now, children in his old neighborhood study his game instead.