People are acknowledging his existence again and he is overjoyed

Bastian Schweinsteiger is off to a wonderful start in Chicago. He’s scored two goals in his first five matches, people are making eye contact wit him, and the birds don’t stop singing just because he’s around. The good times continued when the world champion* Chicago Cubs asked him to throw out the first pitch at their game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

As you’d expect, Schweinsteiger took the task seriously, even practicing with Chicago Fire teammate/pitching coach Dax McCarty during training. And when the moment of truth came, he threw a pretty good pitch with a huge smile on his face.

Best part of that video? When former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg asks Schweinsteiger how hard he’s going to throw it, to which Schweini responds: “I am a German—full power.”

The night didn’t end there, though. During the seventh-inning stretch, Schweinsteiger and his teammates sang “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” over the Wrigley Field PA system.

*The Cubs are not “world” champions in the same way Schweinsteiger is a world champion. They are essentially just champions of the continental United States and parts of Canada.