Buffalo's sports superheroes united on Saturday night, as Rasmus Dahlin and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. met for the first time.
Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, and Guerrero Jr., the No. 1 MLB prospect, talked and took a photo together on the field before the Bison's game against Toledo at Coca-Cola Field.
It was superhero theme night at the ballpark, and Dahlin was there to throw out the first pitch to the tune of suspenseful music.
"It was awesome," Dahlin said after the pitch about meeting Guerrero Jr. "I’ve heard a lot of great things about him. He’s a great player so it was fun."
The pair are just teenagers, as Guerrero Jr. is 19 and Dahlin is 18, but are already hailed as the future stars of their respective sports.
Dahlin had never thrown a baseball before, but he arrived at the park early enough to get some practice in before. The ball made it all the way to the catcher without bouncing, but it was a little high.
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"I was pretty nervous, I didn’t want it to bounce. It went good," he said.
Here’s the pitch pic.twitter.com/ED5T6IYkGh
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) August 11, 2018
Guerrero Jr. was promoted the Bisons last week and is already making his presence known. He's batting .433 and has 13 hits in his first 10 games, including three home runs. He's also the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who played 16 seasons in the MLB.
Dahlin was just the third player in Sabres history to be taken No. 1 overall in the NHL draft. The defenseman played the last two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League and was also a member of the Swedish National team.
After Sabres development camp in June, Dahlin's first time playing with the Sabres, he went back home to Sweden to spend some time with family and friends. He's been back in Buffalo for about a week and a half and played in the Fattey League, a summer league that plays at HarborCenter.
Dahlin has been playing alongside Casey Mittelstadt, the Sabres 2017 first round draft pick, Sabres left winger Zemgus Girgensons and Los Angeles Kings forward and Eden native Alex Iafallo.
"It was fun," he said. "A lot of friends that play together so we had a lot of fun."
Dahlin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres in July after a successful development camp. He'll be back on the ice next month with the Sabres as the team prepares for the 2018-19 season.
