FRANKLIN, Wis. — Ken Patnode Sr. has been here before — standing in front of home plate and ready to throw the opening pitch on his birthday Sunday afternoon.
He is not a player on the Milwaukee Milkmen, a local baseball team, but rather a 100-year-old man who still has some starch left in his fastball.
"It was my second time," Patnode Sr. said. "I was here for my 95th birthday and I'm back here today."
Patnode Sr. has a long history of working on a farm, and he credits all that exercise and work as the reason for his long life.
The crowd cheered him on as he released the ball, and Patnode Jr. is grateful for all the support his father received.
"It's great to see the people show up and just the love that everybody has for him is incredible," Patnode Jr. said.
Patnode Sr. has always been a role model to his son, and even up to now, Patnode Jr. looks up to his dad.
"He's my role model since I was a kid, you know? Every kid has to have a hero, and he's mine," he said.
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