Two of Rob Reiner’s children pay tribute to their late parents with Dodgers ceremonial first pitches
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- Two of Rob and Michele Reiner’s children, Jake and Romy, threw ceremonial first pitches at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
- They were honoring the late actor-director’s longtime devotion to the Dodgers, a passion for baseball that was passed down.
The late actor and director Rob Reiner was a devoted Dodgers fan.
Sunday would have meant a lot to him.
Jake and Romy Reiner threw out the ceremonial first pitches at Dodger Stadium before the team’s game against the Boston Red Sox, more than seven months after their parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, were found dead at their Brentwood home.
Jake Reiner, a 35-year-old actor and reporter, threw his pitch straight down the middle to Dodgers outfielder Alex Call behind the plate. Romy Reiner, a 28-year-old actor and writer, sent her pitch a little high and outside, but her catcher, Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas, had no trouble handling it.
Rob Reiner earned a posthumous Emmy nomination for his guest role as restaurant consultant Albert Schnurr in ‘The Bear’ Season 4.
Afterward, the siblings shared a heartfelt hug next to the mound.
“The Dodgers have always been a huge part of our family,” Jake Reiner wrote Tuesday on X. “My dad and I could talk baseball for hours and I truly never felt closer to him than when we’d watch games together. Dodger Stadium is a place we’d love to come to as a family.
“Romy and I wanted to honor our mom and dad by throwing out a ceremonial first pitch for each of them. We’re grateful the Dodgers helped make this moment so special.”
Jake Reiner, who co-hosts the Dodgers-based podcast “The Incline,” wrote about his connection with his father through the Boys in Blue in a Substack column posted in April.
“We loved the Dodgers more than anything,” Jake wrote. “We went to so many damn games. I’ll never go to Dodger Stadium again without feeling my dad’s presence and hearing his voice tell me why Shohei Ohtani should never bat in the leadoff spot.”
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When Rob Reiner threw out a ceremonial first pitch before a Dodgers-Braves game in 2010, Jake was photographed helping him warm up.
Rob Reiner told People in 2023 that he became a die-hard fan through his own father, Carl Reiner, and that he made it a point to pass the same love for the sport on to Jake. In an interview with The Times’ Houston Mitchell last year, Jake said his grandfather and father were both converted New York Giants fans.
“My grandfather switched his allegiance because he fell in love with Jackie Robinson, and my father changed sides when the Giants traded his beloved Willie Mays to the Mets,” Jake said. “I was lucky enough to be born into it after they were already bleeding Dodger blue. Thank God!”
The family has had Dodgers season tickets for about 60 years, with Rob Reiner telling People that he and Jake “would go to at least 25 or 40 games a year.”
Commentary: As news of Rob Reiner’s killing worsens, let’s remember his legacy rooted in empathy
Rob Reiner was clear and sincere in his beliefs, put his money where his mouth was and made art designed to connect rather than divide us.
“Every time we come to the ballpark, even today when we walked in, I said to Jake, ‘There’s nothing like being at the ballpark,’” Rob Reiner said. “I love coming here. We look out at the grass. The green, it’s so beautiful.”
Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, were found by Romy Reiner when she went to their home the afternoon of Dec. 14. Their other son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents by stabbing in December. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
Nick Reiner has struggled with addiction for years and had been living in a guesthouse on his parents’ property, according to a family friend. His mother was said to have become increasingly concerned about his mental health in the weeks leading up to her death.
“The Dodgers express our deep sorrow and share our condolences over the passing of longtime fan Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele,” the team posted Dec. 15 on X.
