The Miracle League hosted a meet-and-greet with Wheeling Park alum and current Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove on Saturday inside Wheeling Park’s gym. The right-hander spoke to the crowd of Miracle League players and family members gathered at his old high school, signed shirts, hats and whatever else, and tossed some pitches to the players for them to slug inside the gymnasium.

“I was coming home for a weekend,” Grove began, speaking shortly before the event. “And Mrs. [Lorraine] McCardle reached out and wanted to set something up with the Miracle League and obviously I am more than happy to do that, to take an hour to have some fun with these guys. We didn’t really have a huge plan but to show up and have some fun.”

McCardle, the President of the Miracle League of the Ohio Valley, was excited to bring Grove in for an appearance.

“It was a family connection, my daughter knows his sister and it went from there,” McCardle said of how the day was arranged.

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Michael Grove tosses a pitch to a Miracle League player.

“It is absolutely awesome. I’ve known Michael Grove since he was in elementary school. To come back and greet these special needs kids, it’s something very special.”

McCardle founded the Miracle League of the Ohio Valley after getting inspiration from her son Austin while watching a football game. Austin was born with PMD (Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease) and his love for sports sparked her interest in creating an organization for people with special needs in the Ohio Valley.

In the years since, it has served countless families.

“I think this is a tremendous event,” Scott Kane, the step-father of a Miracle League player and a coach for the Braves, a team in the league, said. “We very seldom get any professional to come and do too many things in the area, let alone with the Miracle League, with these special needs kids.

“I think some of them might not really know who he is, but regardless, they know that he came to see them, and we really kind of hyped it up and we have a good turnout. I think there are eight, nine, 10 teams in Miracle League and they’re all well-represented. I think this is a very good event for the Miracle League.”

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Lorraine McCardle, President of the Miracle League of the Ohio Valley, speaks during Saturday's meet-and-greet.

The event lasted nearly two hours, and ended with a group photo before Grove turned his attention to signing items for each Miracle League player who asked.

“Anything I can do to bring some positivity, to make this a good day for these guys, that’s my goal,” Grove said. “They probably think I’m a bigger deal than I think I am, but I’m just trying to give these guys a day where they have some fun, have their t-shirt signed and go home happy.”

“They do a lot of other things,” Scott Kane said of the Miracle League. “They have volleyball, kickball, and they have relationships with local colleges- Wheeling University, West Liberty- and they come and spend time with the kids and let them know that they matter and that people care about them.”

Grove underwent shoulder surgery in March, and is expected to miss the 2025 season. Grove provided an update as he works towards getting back onto the field for Los Angeles.

“It’s going good, I’m about three months into a year-long rehab, trying to run the clock out,” Grove said. “I have a lot of work in front of me but it’s going well thus far.”

photo by: Nick Henthorn

Michael Grove speaks during Saturday's meet and greet.

Grove pitched in 39 games in 2024 for the Dodgers, including starting two games, and made Los Angeles’ postseason roster as the team went on to win the world series. Grove made one appearance in the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres before suffering a shoulder injury, later diagnosed as a torn right labrum.