Former Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross had to miss the team’s banner ceremony on Monday as they celebrated their World Series championship, but he’s playing a big role in another celebration of that title on Wednesday.

In an Instagram post, Ross revealed that not only will he be at Wrigley for the ring ceremony, but he’ll also be throwing out the first pitch before the game. Naturally, there was only one man who could catch that pitch from Ross, and the catcher penned a heartfelt note thanking Jon Lester for the role that he played in his MLB career:

The caption to the post reads: 

“I’ve been privileged to call you a teammate, friend, and family. You made this journey epic and wrote this back-up catcher’s storybook ending. Thank you for being my strongest critic and my most loyal defender. You pushed me to new heights. You instilled toughness and a will to win. Lefthander, it has been my sincerest honor to be stuck with you every 5 days. Thank you for bringing me to Chicago, for the 2 World Series rings, and for catching my first pitch tonight. But don’t think I won’t be shaking you off!”

Lester and Ross both joined the Cubs prior to the 2015 season, and over the course of the next two years Ross caught most of Lester’s games for the team. Their relationship culminated with the two players playing a pivotal role in Game 7 of the World Series, as Lester pitched in relief in the game and Ross cracked a home run to center field in his final Major League game.

Ross and the rest of the Cubs will receive their championship rings on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m., and their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers will follow at 7:05 p.m.