色色啦

While the rest of the Schneider household loved the Phillies 鈥� their home in Berlin, N.J., was just a half-hour drive from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia 鈥� Steven was a Red Sox fan whose favourite players were Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.

For Schneider, getting the call to the big leagues last August after improbably climbing up the organizational ranks seven years after being drafted in the 28th round was a dream of its own.

But when his debut came at the historic park in Boston he grew up dreaming beside and he hit a home run that soared over the Green Monster in his first career at-bat with his family and friends crying tears of joy in the stands, it was as if everything from his childhood had come full circle.

Only the piece at the centre of it all was missing.

***

Schneider and his brother Steven shared a room for a long time. There were five years between them, but that didn鈥檛 stop the duo from doing everything together.

鈥淲e never really fought or anything,鈥� Schneider tells the Star. 鈥淗e always protected me, he never bullied me or anything like that.鈥�

Schneider hung out with his big brother鈥檚 friends from the time he was five years old until eventually they became his lifelong circle of friends, too. The family still talks about the time Steven walked into Davis鈥檚 kindergarten room, grabbed his little brother by the hand and proudly took him back to his own Grade 5 class for show-and-tell.

鈥淲hen we were younger, he just loved Davis so much,鈥� sister Olivia Schneider, who works as a nanny in their hometown, says of Steven. 鈥淗e loved being with him. Even when Davis was a baby, he loved holding him and being around him. They were always really close.鈥�

Growing up, the brothers were best friends and loved to play sports together. While Davis caught the baseball bug early 鈥� even as a toddler, he could often be found walking around the yard in diapers and swinging a miniature baseball bat 鈥� Steven was a good basketball player. He used sports as a tool to teach his little brother about work ethic, a value that helped the 25-year-old reach the majors.

鈥淗e always told me, get your ass in the gym,鈥� Schneider says. 鈥淓ven when I did well, he would always try to critique me, which at the time was like, 鈥極h, why are you trying to bring me down?鈥� But he was just making sure I was trying to get better and never be complacent.鈥�

Davis and Steven were also close with their sisters. When Davis arrived seven years after Madeline, the eldest of four, everything changed for the Schneider siblings.

鈥淗e was the quintessential little brother. He was annoying as hell sometimes,鈥� Madeline, now a 31-year-old accountant in New York, says. 鈥淚 love him to death. But he can be so annoying.鈥�

Part of the annoyance came naturally as the youngest sibling. He didn鈥檛 have to do as many chores, he got a cellphone earlier than anyone else did and his parents were generally more lenient with him.

鈥淚 did play the baby card,鈥� Davis admits. 鈥淲henever I got in trouble I would kinda blame it on my sisters.鈥�

But he would seek out the annoyance, too. He鈥檇 set up his hit-a-way baseball trainer next to the TV while his sisters were trying to watch a show. He loved to clap; not in a supportive way, but in a 鈥渓oud and obnoxious way鈥� that both sisters claim was always done with malicious intent.

It was all part of the Davis charm.

The siblings were bonded by their passion for sports, quoting their favourite movies and TV shows, and for the three older ones, their profound love and admiration for their little brother, Davis.

鈥淭hick as thieves,鈥� Madeline says. 鈥淲e did everything together and tried to include Davis as much as possible. He was always sort of tagging along, but there was never a time where I was like, 鈥極h, we鈥檙e not going to bring Davis along.鈥�

鈥淚t was always the four of us together.鈥�

Until suddenly, it wasn鈥檛.

In November 2020, Steven tragically died. Davis had been back home for a while after the minor-league baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He and Olivia drove home together from the house where Steven had been living. The two sat in the car in silence and cried.

鈥淭he only thing on my mind was, I hope Davis is OK, because they were so close,鈥� Olivia says. 鈥淪teven taught him so many things. They were, just, inseparable best friends.鈥�

***

There are two versions of Davis Schneider.

There鈥檚 the one Blue Jays fans know and his sisters struggle to recognize, with his thick moustache, signature sport glasses and ragged baseball glove that he picked up in a lost-and-found bin. He鈥檚 quickly become a fan favourite in 色色啦, not only for his ability to hit the baseball a long way and get on base consistently 鈥� which has earned him an everyday role in recent weeks, sometimes out of the leadoff spot 鈥� but also because of his easygoing personality.

Then there鈥檚 the Davis his siblings know; personable and goofy, with a dry sense of humour. He loves “Finding Nemo,” taking bites out of a stick of butter, and his dog, Jasper, who he now dreams of one day living with in a secluded cabin. He enjoys golfing and just hanging out at the family home. And he really loved Steven.

鈥淚 just miss being around him,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淗e was funny 鈥� he thought he was funny, but he wasn鈥檛 funny. I just wish I could share this experience with him, he would definitely be all over it. He would definitely be coming to every game. He would definitely be my biggest supporter, so I wish he was here for that.鈥�

Steven was a warm, caring person who loved kids, which suited his career as a nurse. He also struggled with addiction.

Losing a brother at such a young age 鈥� Steven would have turned 30 this past April 鈥� after an accidental drug overdose was a trauma the Schneider siblings are working through together.

鈥淚 think having that happen kinda opened up a lot of eyes in our family,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淎ll that matters is being happy.”

It鈥檚 been four years now, and Davis says he鈥檚 in a good place, but there isn鈥檛 a day he doesn鈥檛 think about Steven.

鈥淗e never really shared what he was dealing with mentally, he always made sure I was doing OK, and I wish I kind of knew what he was struggling with,” Davis says. “But I think that’s what made him a really good big brother. He never showed me that he was dealing with anything bad.

鈥淗e always wanted to be like the Superman that he was.鈥�

***

Steven is still very much a part of everything the Schneider siblings do.

They live by the mantra 鈥�#AlwaysFour鈥� because even though their brother is gone, he鈥檚 still in their lives, and in them.

Davis has taken on Steven’s role of protector, focused on making sure his parents and sisters are OK. His calm nature and ability to 鈥渉andle a lot of stress鈥� have helped him navigate the challenges of life and baseball, though those qualities make his sisters worry, too.

Madeline and Olivia have become Davis鈥檚 biggest supporters. Their public and rapidly growing social media profiles are essentially Davis Schneider propaganda machines.

鈥淚 hope he feels no pressure to succeed for us because no matter what he does, we’ll be rooting for him,鈥� Olivia says. 鈥淚 just don’t want him to feel pressure to perform because it makes us happy, because I just want him to be happy. I want him to have fun. But it has lifted us up out of a little bit of the darkness.鈥�

Davis has since moved out of the bedroom that housed the Green Monster and taken over the basement, where he lives in the off-season. At home, the reminders of Steven are everywhere.

On the main floor, Schneider’s first career home run ball from Fenway sits in a case at the front of a long table against a window. Beside it is a vial of dirt that Madeline and Olivia collected from the infield on that magical weekend in Boston, where their little brother became the first player in MLB history to record nine hits and two home runs in his first three games.

Next to that is a brown box holding Steven鈥檚 ashes. It’s surrounded by photos, flowers, a basketball and several decorative cardinals 鈥� the red bird that symbolizes an angel is near.

“Obviously I wish he was here with me, but people have lost a lot more than me,” Schneider says. “I’m just grateful to be in this situation and to have had a big brother like him. There’s a lot to be grateful for.鈥�

In the busyness of the baseball season, the reminders of Steven come in different ways.

Davis randomly remembers the little things, like playing wiffle ball or swimming in their neighbour’s pool. Sometimes the memories manifest in bigger ways. He was in the wedding party for one of Steven’s childhood friends. And that second home run he hit during his debut series in Boston travelled 425 feet, a meaningful number to the Schneider family.

“Steven’s birthday is 4/25 (April 25). My mom makes that connection a lot. It gives me goosebumps sometimes thinking about that,” he says. “It still doesn’t feel real that he鈥檚 gone. I just want to remember what he shared with me and keep sharing it with other people.”

Davis, Madeline and Olivia have been doing a lot of sharing these days. That’s the #AlwaysFour way.