RivCo Mayor, Former Pro-Ball Player, Throws 1st Pitch At A Crosstown Rival Game

TEMECULA, CA — Temecula Mayor Brenden Kalfus is a busy guy, but he's never too busy to capture a moment. This week, when asked if he would throw out the first pitch at the Temecula Valley High School vs. Great Oak High School cross-town rivalry game, he did not balk.

"I haven't been back here in years," he told Patch in an interview behind home plate. "I graduated in 2009, I played all years at TVHS baseball, two on Varsity, it's awesome to be back."

Kalfus arrived with his wife Mia and their five children to show them a bit of their old stomping grounds, both graduates of TVHS.

Kalfus was installed as Temecula's mayor in January and has taken on his duties with ease, while also working as a full-time firefighter and arson investigator for Anaheim Fire & Rescue. He arrived at the game fresh off a shift, ready to see if he still had what it takes on the field.

Looking around the baseball field, posters of senior players hang from the chain link fence. Fans filtered in, as did TVHS Athletic Director John Harney, who invited him out on a sunny Wednesday.

After a few practice pitches and an introduction from Harney on the mayor's baseball and professional accolades, Kalfus took to the pitcher's mound. He threw a perfect strike to start the rivalry game, caught by Golden Bears catcher Blake Wolff.

Before his big moment on the mound, Kalfus was joined in recognition with a few local dignitaries, including TVHS Principal Donna Leon, Asst. Superintendent Kimberly Velez and TVUSD Board Trustee Emil Barham.

In high school, he played both outfield and center field, he said. Kalfus attended Saint Mary's College on an athletic scholarship, where he played all four years and graduated in 2013 under Coach John-Paul Rizzo, to whom he offered a: "Hey, Coach!" After college, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 23rd round.

"I played two years in Vancouver, a big league city with a minor league team," he recalled, but for Kalfus, Temecula "has been and always will be home."

While we walked around the stadium, he pointed out his team photos from his years at TVHS, then raised his daughters to show them his photo from the 2008 team and asked if they could see him there, in the front row. The day brought on waves of nostalgia for the mayor.

"Being back on the field made me remember how amazing TVHS is, and the memories I built there will last a lifetime," Kalfus said. "Being back on the field made it feel like no time had passed. What I would do to be back on that field, playing a ballgame again."

The mayor and his family stayed to watch the game that followed. They cheered for TVHS baseball as they pulled ahead and stayed ahead to win 5-4.

"It was a great game," he said with a smile.

Kalfus's young son mugged for the camera, wearing a much-too-big TVHS baseball hat, and his daughter donned an old high school jersey brought for the special day.

Will they grow into swinging a bat or pitching a ball for the Golden Bears at TVHS someday?

One thing's for sure. Patch will be rooting for them.