Casual Friday: Kate Flannery's MiLB-filled weekend

In the fictional world of the hit NBC sitcom “The Office,” Meredith Palmer is prone to mishaps, can be snarky and is known to enjoy a beverage or two. But Kate Flannery, the actress who portrayed the Dunder Mifflin employee for nine seasons, is nothing like her character.

Just ask the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Indianapolis Indians and Fort Wayne TinCaps, all of whom hosted Flannery last week as she toured Minor League Baseball stadiums across the Midwest.

“She loves meeting fans and going to sporting events, especially baseball,” said Timber Rattlers entertainment coordinator Jake Jirschele. “Answered every question, she wanted to be a part of everything. We had her shoot the Bratzooka. She was like, ‘How many times am I going to be able to say I shot bratwursts out of a big air cannon?’ She was loving it. She was up for anything.”

"Meredith Shoots the Bratzooka" 🎬 Your new all-time favorite episode!!! 😅🌭 #tratnation @KateFlannery @theofficetv pic.twitter.com/xPcAmm0OjO

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) July 7, 2023

Wisconsin hadn’t had any sort of celebrity guest at Fox Cities Stadium in years, Jirschele said, but after talking with some other teams who had hosted Flannery before, it was a no-brainer for the Brewers’ High-A affiliate to put together a Sitcom Night.

Indianapolis had a nearly identical experience in bringing Flannery to Victory Field. The Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate was keen on bringing in a character from The Office, and the “unbelievable reviews” she got from around the league put Flannery on their radar.

“She’s a very energetic, very exciting person to be around,” said Indianapolis director of communications Cheyne Reiter. “For a special appearance from someone that has celebrity status such as Kate, she was very humble and very easy to work with.”

Must be a casual Saturday. 😅@KateFlannery delivered tonight's ceremonial first pitch! pic.twitter.com/mYHC1CndRJ

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) July 8, 2023

Flannery was committed to giving the fans at all three parks a great experience, no matter how the day had gone for her. When flying into Wisconsin, Jirschele said her flight from Los Angeles was delayed, so she missed her connecting flight from Denver to Appleton, Wisc.

So she got on a plane to Milwaukee, which is 1.5 hours away from the original destination, and Jirschele went there to pick her up. On the drive back, the two just talked about life, and Jirschele could tell she was a genuine person.

“She was the absolute best,” Jirschele said. “Just the sweetest person.”

She started the mini trip in Wisconsin on July 6, went to High-A Fort Wayne's (Padres) Parkview Field on July 7 and took a car to Indianapolis to be there for its July 8 game.

“She’s very much just a lady of the people,” Fort Wayne assistant director of marketing and promotion Morgan Olson said. “She would jump in and photobomb people, which made the photos even better. Very Meredith-style, rather than just sitting down and posing. She took the time with every single person … it never felt like she was too good for someone’s time.”

It’s #PrisonMike with George Forman Grill foot. @tincaps mascot is killing it!!! #fortwaynebaby #baseballtour pic.twitter.com/fqzG7vr9gX

— Kate Flannery (@KateFlannery) July 7, 2023

Flannery stayed for the entire game in Wisconsin, meeting fans, taking pictures and fielding all kinds of questions. When she saw Fort Wayne’s mascot dressed up as Prison Mike, she burst out laughing and posted a picture of it to social media; it garnered over 15,600 likes on Instagram. In Indianapolis, she stayed an extra hour past her booked meet-and-greet session to make sure every fan who wanted to meet her, did.

Perhaps most notably, nobody hit her with their car in the parking lot, so it’s safe to say that Flannery had a great time in the Midwest.