GERMANTOWN — Brian Keller, a Germantown High School graduate, made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.
His parents, who live in Germantown, were not about to miss it.
"Oh, yeah. We booked. We were on it," Ellen Keller said.
Keller threw three innings, striking out three batters, allowing two hits and one earned run.
Watch: Germantown's Brian Keller makes MLB debut with Phillies:
"There's nothing like it," Steve Keller said.
"And his demeanor was just normal. You know, he had a job to do and that's what he went to do," Ellen Keller said.
That mindset carried him through the ups and downs of his career. Drafted in the 39th round by the Yankees in 2016, Keller spent six years grinding through the minors before heading to Japan for the 2023 season.
"He's just working at it and working at it and working at it and that's that's what he did," Steve Keller said.
A pair of surgeries then sidelined him for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
"He's in his heart always known he could do this, just needed an opportunity to show it," Ellen Keller said.
The Phillies finally gave him that opportunity — at a time his family needed it most.
"Yeah, it's been a very challenging year so far. It's been a bit," Ellen Keller said.
Steve suffered 2 strokes earlier this year.
"Because when you have such a traumatic thing happening, your outlook dims just a bit. And it was really nice to see Brian achieve that level of success," Steve Keller said.
When Brian handed his dad the game ball from his major league debut, the moment was overwhelming.
"I was bawling. Yeah, I was crying. Tears in my eyes," Ellen Keller said.
For the Keller family, it meant everything.
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