By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Get him to the plate, boys.
Exactly one week before the Philadelphia Phillies honor first baseman Ryan Howard with a special retirement ceremony, the 2008 World Series champion and fellow former club slugger Jim Thome will team up on Sunday, July 7, at the 2019 MLB Celebrity Softball Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
Thome played plenty of games at the venue from its 1994 opening to 2002. The next season, the eventual Hall of Famer signed his iconic deal with the Phillies; he would slug 96 home runs and 266 RBI over parts of three seasons and 361 games. Eventually Thome would be replaced by Howard, who had a similar "bat-pointing" batting stance as him, and the rest was history.
The Softball Game will be broken into Cleveland and The World teams. Former Cleveland Indians set to appear include Kenny Lofton — who was teammates with Thome in Cleveland and both Thome and Howard in Philadelphia (2005) — as well as Carlos Baerga, Mike Napoli and Travis Hafner.
Celebrity participants to appear include, according to Cleveland.com: Johnny Bananas, MTV Challenge; Stephanie Beatriz, actress, "Brooklyn 99"; Simone Biles, Olympic gold medalist; Drew Carey, Comedian and talk-show host; Priah Ferguson, actress, "Stranger Things"; Jennie Finch, softball Olympian; Jamie Foxx, Academy Award-winning actor; Max Greenfield, actor, "New Girl"; Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Cleveland Heights High School graduate; Machine Gun Kelly, Musician-actor; Allie LaForce, Turner Sports broadcaster; Jerry Lorenzo, fashion/sneaker designer; Anthony Mackie, actor, "Avengers"; Stipe Miocic, MMA fighter; Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, WWE star and reigning MLB Celebrity Softball MVP; Dascha Polanco, actress, "Orange is the New Black"; Dr. Oz, television host and Cleveland native; Quincy, actor, "Star"; Scott Rogowsky, comedian and host on video-streaming network DAZN; J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavalier; Colton Underwood, former NFL player and television personality; and Daddy Yankee, Reggaeton recording artist.
RELATED | Former Phillies Manuel, Thome to Reunite on 2019 MLB All-Star Futures Game Coaching Staff
MLB Network “Intentional Talk" co-hosts Chris Rose and Kevin Millar will emcee the softball game, which will precede the All-Star Futures Game. Thome will manage a team and will be joined on his coaching staff by former Indians/Phillies coach/manager Charlie Manuel. Phillies third baseman prospect Alec Bohm will participate in the game, although it is not clear if he will be on Thome/Manuel's team.
Are you excited to see Howard, Thome and Manuel take part in baseball action once again?
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