There are ceremonial pitches every night before baseball games. The reasoning behind each is always a little bit different.

They’re held to honor former service members. Other times they come from season ticket holders. And sometimes local sports stars throw out the first pitch, as was the case at Progressive Field when Cleveland Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey took the mound.

But there was more to Kirksey’s story than just being a local sports star visiting the baseball team across the street.

Before Kirksey’s freshman season at Iowa began, his father, Elmer, died of a heart attack. Monday night, Kirksey joined by a young fan in a similar situation: dealing with the loss of a father.

The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, formerly of cleveland.com, wrote about Kirksey and his father during the linebacker’s rookie year with the Browns.

We were able to chat with Kirksey about his night on Monday and what led him to throwing out the first pitch and spending the night with a young fan.

TribeVibe: Can you explain a little bit about what brought you here to the Indians game tonight?

First off, I want to thank the Indians organization for allowing me to throw the first pitch and to be a part of the game today. This is the game after Father’s Day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the game yesterday, so I made it today. Father’s Day is important to me. I lost my father at a young age — 17-years-old — and I thought it was perfect to have a family come that went through the same situation as myself, watch me throw the first pitch and get a chance to know the kid that’s here, get to share stories. I can tell him something that may help him along the way, and go through some of the things that I’ve been through and just help him whenever he reaches that point in his life where he may need answers. So, I’m just trying to share as much as I can to let him know how I made it out, because you need a father in your life. I thought it’d be cool just to interact with a fan and someone I respect.

How did you pick the young fan who would attend the game with you?

I wanted to give everybody a chance to come here and watch the game. What I did was a little contest on social media. I had someone quickly share their story, to tell a little bit about themselves. My team just randomly picked somebody out of the bunch who entered the contest and we just got a chance to meet him today.

There are other players and people who have gone through similar losses that you have. Why did you feel compelled to take it upon yourself to spend time with someone and share advice with them?

You know that you can’t help everyone. That’s almost impossible to just reach out to everyone. But I just wanted to at least impact somebody’s life. If I can impact one person’s life, that’s one person that you’re getting through to. I just wanted to be more hands-on, get a chance to see the person face-to-face. Because a lot of times you can say one thing, and it’s more effective when you’re in the same setting. I just felt that it was a need for me to help the kid out. I knew how I felt at a young age when I lost my father. I felt better once I talked to people. I felt better once I was around people. So, I just wanted to be around the kid that, yesterday was maybe a tough day for him. It’s just all about loving and caring for one another, and that’s what I did.

Is that what you want him to take away from today? That he’s not going through it alone, there are other people who are going through what he’s going through?

Yes. There are other people that share similar stories. Everybody that has been before you has either been through it or is going through it right now. You’re not alone. You’re not by yourself. I know a lot of times, when people get discouraged or people get depressed, they feel like they’re by themselves, and that no one understands. I can understand millions of kids who have lost a parent, who have lost a father. I think it’s a good idea to not only just throw the first pitch, but make it interesting by bringing a fan along with me and we can share similar stories.

Finally, break down your first pitch. How did you feel going out there, were you nervous at all?

I wasn’t nervous, man. It kind of felt like gameday for me. Once you hit the field, you’re in the element of competition. You get all the jitters, the nerves out of the way, and it’s just ball after that. The mound was a little further than I thought. But at least I made it there.

TribeVibe contributor Dan Armelli; photos by Courtney Culbreath