Tkachuk, Tatum split 1st pitch duties in St. Louis

The championship tour continued for the St. Louis duo of Matthew Tkachuk and Jayson Tatum on Sunday at Busch Stadium, home of the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals.

The two St. Louis natives celebrated their respective championships by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch side-by-side before the Cardinals game.

Tkachuk won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers; Tatum helped lead the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in June. The title-clinching games took place just six days apart.

Instead of the Stanley Cup (which had other commitments on Sunday), Tkachuk brought his iconic championship belt to the ballpark for the first pitch. Tatum had the Larry O'Brien trophy in hand.

While the Cup wasn’t in St. Louis on Sunday, Tkachuk had the chance to take the trophy to his hometown earlier in the summer. The tour included stops at his elementary school, Villa Duchesne in St. Louis, the St. Louis Children’s Hospital and the Brentwood police and fire departments.

The two superstars were teammates at Chaminade College Preparatory School, an independent Catholic school for boys in grades 6-12, in St. Louis. Tkachuk left there after the ninth grade for the United States National Development Program. Tatum graduated in 2016 and his No. 22 was retired by the school two years later.

During their visit to St. Louis, Tkachuk and Tatum also recreated the iconic photo of the two of them during their days at Chaminade. And yes, they included their former classmate who is seen in the background of the photo.

Throughout their playoff runs, both players supported each other during media days and on social media. The goal was always to bring two championship trophies to St. Louis, and both guys came through.

The latest stop for the two champions was at the ballpark.

- NHL.com Staff Writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report