Luke Theodosiades can safely count Wednesday among the more awesome nights of his young life, and for good reason.

Readers may have caught Theodosiades, 19, of Ridley Township, standing in front of the pitcher’s mound ahead of Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, where he delivered a fairly decent first pitch to Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper.

“I think (Phillies right fielder Nick) Castellanos would have probably swung at it,” Luke joked.

Luke, who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia at a young age, was tapped to deliver the pitch as part of Major League Baseball’s partnership with Stand Up to Cancer, a nonprofit devoted to raising funds for cancer research.

He said he was shocked to get the nod and that it was a truly surreal experience to have more than 45,000 fans cheering him on ahead of the game, which the Phillies lost to the Houston Astros 5-0 and were no-hit.

“It didn’t even really hit me until after the fact that they were all cheering for me,” Luke said. “I was just sitting there, soaking in the moment. I was a little nervous, and then they said Bryce Harper was coming out to catch it and I was completely in shock because Bryce Harper is my favorite player. … He came out and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I guess I really have to throw a strike now, or at least get it there.’ ”

After getting pictures with Harper on the field, Luke and his family joined others representing Stand up to Cancer in a suite where they rubbed elbows with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, and Phillies legends Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins.

Biden attended with grandson Robert, son of the late Beau, who died of a brain tumor in 2015. She also took part in a ceremony honoring those lost or diagnosed with cancer during the fifth inning.

“It was just really incredible,” said Luke’s father, John Theodosiades, principal of Amosland School in the Ridley School District. “The whole thing was a surprise to us. It wasn’t something we applied for, or sent in something for. The doctors called us and said he could have this opportunity. Luke is a huge baseball fan, so for him, I can’t imagine how he felt. He played it very cool, but I’m sure he was very excited.”

The elder Theodosiades said baseball may actually have helped save his son’s life, and Luke agreed. He was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 12 years old after underperforming at baseball practice for a local Ridley team.

“My parents, a couple other parents, they started noticing things so they took me to the doctor,” Luke said. “They didn’t really think it was anything major like that, but after some tests it ended up being leukemia.”

Thinking back on it now, those signs that something was amiss probably gave him an earlier diagnosis than he otherwise may have had, since Luke was fine going to school and doing other nonathletic activities.

His slowdown in running was the key difference that led to a doctor’s appointment showing Luke’s white blood cells were “through the roof,” said John Theodosiades.

After conventional therapy failed to show results, Luke was entered into a study for immunotherapy T-cells, which allowed him to get to a place where he could receive a transplant in August 2016. He has been cancer free since.

“A couple of years of hell, but came out the other side of it,” Luke said. “Just recently, I found out that a study was funded by Stand Up to Cancer, which is a big partner with the MLB and their initiative to end cancer. So based off of that, I was selected (to pitch). And the nurses and doctors I had at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recommended me for it because I fit the criteria for it, and they just picked me off of that.”

Theodosiades, now a sophomore early education major at Kutztown University, said he hopes to become a teacher while keeping his hand in sports somehow, maybe as a coach or athletic director.

Nowadays, John Theodosiades said, the family rarely even thinks about Luke having cancer, but Wednesday night brought a lot of those emotions back. He credited his son’s recovery to the excellent care he received at CHOP and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

“Nobody could have been better,” the father said. “We live in such a place where we have amazing care so close by, and we’re thankful for that. But last night just brought everything back and it just was so amazing to compare where he was six years ago and seeing him out there now.”

The Phillies unfortunately did not do great that night, but it did little to dampen the spirits of the Theodosiades family, who remain confident the Fightin’s will pull it out in the end.

“Everything there was awesome,” Luke said. “The Phillies were awesome, Dr. Biden was awesome. It was just an awesome, awesome night to be there. I’m really thankful to MLB, Stand Up to Cancer for inviting me there for that opportunity, and Dr. Biden for all the work she’s been doing to hopefully put an end to this disease.”