99-year-old St. Charles man throws out first pitch at Cougars game

The Kane County Cougars said they were honored to welcome Walter Guzy to Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Tuesday.

While the Cougars are celebrating their 25th anniversary season, Guzy, of St. Charles, celebrated his 99th birthday. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Cougars' 4-0 loss to Quad Cities. He joked that he tossed a knuckleball.

Guzy, a machine-gunner in World War II, served under Gen. George Patton. Guzy, who was a sergeant, landed eight days after D-Day and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Guzy, who said he's a huge White Sox fan, was part of the Silver Foxes seniors group attending the game. The Cougars also presented him with tickets for their Military Appreciation Night this summer.

The Cougars have plenty of special events planned this season. The team will wear commemorative silver caps and silver jerseys during select games, and a special 25th anniversary logo will be painted and displayed on the field this season.

Fans born in the Cougars' inaugural season of 1991 will receive a free reserved seat ticket. The offer is valid for any game and a photo ID with proof of age must be shown at the box office windows in order to receive a complimentary ticket.

Throwback Tuesdays, which include all Tuesday games from June through September, features individual ticket pricing from the Cougars' first season - $5 box seats, $4 reserved seats and $3 lawn seats.

Voting is under way at kccougars.com for fans to select a "Silver Anniversary Team." The ballot includes some of the Cougars' most popular alumni who have achieved greatness in the Major Leagues including Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Dempster and Adrian Gonzalez. To date, a total of 128 former Cougars have reached the big leagues.