Angry Orchard® Surprises One of New York’s Worst Rec Softball Teams With Baseball Legend Nick Swisher

Most recreational softball teams aren’t playing for championships, massive contracts or packed stadiums. They’re playing for the same reasons millions of people join local leagues every summer: to get outside, spend time with friends, enjoy a little friendly competition and have a few laughs along the way. But even when winning isn’t everything, losing 14 games in a row can make a summer softball season pretty difficult to swallow.

Angry Orchard decided one struggling New York City softball team deserved a little help. Instead of simply offering encouragement from the sidelines, the hard cider brand called in some serious baseball experience, sending former Major League Baseball All-Star Nick Swisher to become the team’s surprise Angry Orchard Super Sub. The result turned an otherwise forgettable season into a game the players are unlikely to forget.

The campaign fits perfectly with Angry Orchard’s playful approach to life’s frustrating moments. The message is simple: sometimes the scoreboard isn’t going your way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. For the Sons of Pitches, a team that continued showing up despite a 14-game losing streak, the unexpected arrival of Swisher turned a rough season into an unforgettable summer story.

Here is the complete announcement from Angry Orchard:

The nation’s leading hard cider[1] brand proves that a frustrating season is no match for a good time.

Walden, N.Y., Aug. 11, 2026- Most rec softball teams are looking for a good time, a reason to get outside, hang with friends and have a few drinks. But every league has that one team that just can’t catch a break. Sure, it’s all supposed to be for fun, but getting crushed week after week can really get under your skin. Angry Orchard gets it.

So this summer, Angry Orchard helped out a team that kept showing up despite the losses. After scouring the country for one of the worst rec softball teams in America, the brand sent in baseball legend Nick Swisher as its Angry Orchard Super Sub, a surprise stand-in player who suited up and joined the team for a game they’ll never forget. Because when life hands you a tough inning—or a whole season—Don’t Get Angry, Get Orchard.

“I’ve played in front of packed stadiums, in playoff games and in high-stakes moments with a lot on the line,” said Swisher. “And every athlete knows the feeling of a tough loss. But if you’re going to have a rough season, the least you can do is have some fun with it. That’s what I loved about this team and what Angry Orchard celebrates: finding the good times, even when the scoreboard isn’t on your side.”

The team that earned the Angry Orchard Super Sub? Sons of Pitches, a rec team out of New York City that had plenty of reasons to get angry this season. But instead of letting the frustration of a 14-game losing streak get the best of them, they kept coming back for more, proving that a bad season doesn’t have to ruin a good time.

Fans can watch the action unfold across Angry Orchard’s YouTube and other social channels as Swisher surprised the team, stepped into the lineup, and brought some much-needed fun to a season that hadn’t gone their way.

“Angry Orchard is all about finding the fun in life’s frustrating moments,” said John Dorman, senior director of marketing at Angry Orchard. “You can get angry about it, or you can laugh it off with a cold cider in hand. That’s why we sent in Angry Orchard Super Sub Nick Swisher to surprise a team that never let a tough season get in the way of having fun.”

Bold, refreshing, and made with two apples in every can*, Angry Orchard is perfect for the post-game moments that matter most, whether you’re celebrating a win or laughing off another loss. For more information on where to find Angry Orchard, please visit angryorchard.com. Follow along @AngryOrchard on Facebook, X and Instagram. 

Related Angry Orchard coverage from MyBeerBuzz.com:

MyBeerBuzz has followed Angry Orchard’s creative cider releases and collaborations for years, including Dogfish Head & Angry Orchard Collaborating on Bon Appletree Ale, Angry Orchard Adding World’s Angriest – Infused With the Anger of Real People, Angry Orchard Working on Tamarind Twist & Pomme Reserve, and Angry Orchard Launches Biggest Cider Bottle in Brand History. Together, these stories highlight Angry Orchard’s continuing experimentation with innovative cider styles, unusual ingredients, collaborations, barrel-aged releases and creative ways of connecting the brand with cider drinkers.

About Angry Orchard:

The leading hard cider across the country¹, Angry Orchard’s cider makers experiment with apple varieties near and far to continuously develop new cider styles and flavors. Crafted with real apples and the highest quality ingredients, Angry Orchard is balanced, refreshing, and full of flavor, with a wide variety of styles fit for all. At the home of Angry Orchard on a 60-acre apple orchard in New York’s Hudson Valley, the team of cider makers create small-batch experimentation with fruit grown right on-site while offering an experience for guests to sip cider amongst the trees. To learn more about Angry Orchard, visit AngryOrchard.com. Please drink responsibly.

About The Boston Beer Company
The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM) began in 1984 brewing Samuel Adams beer and has since grown to become one of the largest and most respected craft brewers in the United States. We consistently offer the highest-quality products to our drinkers, and we apply what we’ve learned from making great-tasting craft beer to making great-tasting and innovative “beyond beer” products. Boston Beer Company has pioneered not only craft beer but also hard cider, hard seltzer, and hard tea. Our core brands include household names like Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Dogfish Head, Samuel Adams, Sun Cruiser, Truly Hard Seltzer, and Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea. For more information, please visit https://www.bostonbeer.com/.

Source: Nielsen Total US xAOC + Liquor Open State + Conv L52 W/E 6/27/26

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