Diamondbacks’ Paul Sewald bringing Strikeouts 4 Kids charity initiative to Arizona

PHOENIX — For every strikeout this season, Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald and his wife, Molly, will donate $1,000 to Child Crisis Arizona.

The Sewald’s Strikeouts 4 Kids initiative is in its third year, which the Sewalds started in Seattle when Paul pitched for the Mariners. The D-backs say they will match the donations at the end of the season.

“I reached a point in my career where it’s time to really start to give back,” Sewald said pregame Friday. “We loved everything that Seattle gave us, we wanted to give back. We started this thing where I give money for every strikeout I have during the season to an organization that helps kids because kids have been the center of our lives the last few years.

“When I got traded, there was a lot going on last year. We didn’t move it to an Arizona organization until this year. … I’m disappointed my season got started a little bit slow, but we’re hoping we’re going to rack them up throughout the year.”

Sewald entered Friday with six strikeouts this season. He missed the first month-plus with an oblique strain but is back in the closer’s role.

Diamondbacks help Paul Sewald pick Child Crisis Arizona

Child Crisis Arizona works with Arizona families and children to provide emergency shelter, foster care, adoption, counseling, early education and parenting support services. The 501(c)(3) charity has operated since 1977.

Sewald asked the Diamondbacks to give him three charities to look at for the initiative. The team came back with five options within 24 hours.

Sewald said they were sold within 10 minutes of his Child Crisis Arizona tour. The Sewalds, who have two young daughters, worked with Eastside Baby Corner while in Seattle.

“Kids are the center focus of our lives. I think that’s why it’s most important,” Sewald said. “I think about everything that Molly and I do for our girls, it kills me to see that some of these families that don’t have all the resources they could possibly have. If I can do anything to help them, I feel like that’s necessary.”

Hey Fans! Molly and I have teamed up with @dbacksgiveback to bring Sewald’s Strikeouts 4 Kids to Arizona by supporting the amazing organization @ChildCrisisAriz Please join us in this cause by making a pledge for every strikeout this season at https://t.co/RGj9DZYC8C pic.twitter.com/r3crP29UQE

— Paul Sewald (@ItsPaulSewald) May 23, 2024

The organization plans to open a new campus in the fall. A garden at the center will be named after Sewald.

“If we stay here, or if I come back to Phoenix in 20 years, I can show my girls this is what Molly and I decided was most important in our lives. I think that’s going to be a really special moment,” Sewald said.

Sewald explained he was not the closer yet in Seattle when this idea came about, so tying the donations to saves did not make sense.

He joked that strikeouts were more exciting to drive donations than groundouts.

Fans can pledge online.

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