- Ceremonial first pitch
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President Woodrow Wilson throwing out the ceremonial first ball, opening day, 1916
President Richard Nixon tossing out first pitch, at Washington Senators' opening game with New York in Washington, D.C. in 1969.
President Ronald Reagan throwing out the first pitch for the first 1988 Chicago Cubs game
President George W. Bush tossing out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 3 of the 2001 World SeriesThe ceremonial first ball is a longstanding ritual of American baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from his/her place in the grandstand to the pitcher or catcher of the home team. At some point[when?], this morphed into the guest standing in front of the pitcher's mound and throwing towards (but rarely reaching[citation needed]) home plate, though sometimes he or she may stand on the mound (as a pitcher would). The recipient of the pitch is usually a player from the home team.
The ceremonial thrower may be a notable person (dignitary, celebrity, former player, etc.) who is in attendance, an executive from a company that sponsors the team (especially when that company has sponsored that night's promotional giveaway), or a person who won the first pitch opportunity as a contest prize. Often, especially in the minor leagues, multiple first pitches are made.
Generally, ceremonial opening pitches are either not counted in the count, or counted as a ball. There is typically no batter.
Presidential first pitches
Former Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu was the first person to throw a ceremonial first pitch, doing so at a 1908 game in Koshien Japan.[1]
President William Howard Taft started the American tradition in 1910 at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., on the Washington Senators' Opening Day. Every President since Taft has thrown out at least one ceremonial first ball or pitch, either for Opening Day, the All-Star Game, or the World Series, usually with much fanfare.[2]
Presidential First Pitches Year President Ballpark Notes 1910 Opening Day William Howard Taft National Park First Opening Day ball 1911 Opening Day William Howard Taft Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920. 1912 Opening Day Vice President James S. Sherman Griffith Stadium Taft did not attend because of the death of his friend Archibald Butt in the Titanic disaster. Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920. 1913 Opening Day Woodrow Wilson Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920. 1915 Opening Day Woodrow Wilson Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920. 1915 World Series Woodrow Wilson Baker Bowl 1916 Opening Day Woodrow Wilson Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920. 1921 Opening Day Warren Harding Griffith Stadium First loss for the Senators with a President throwing out the first ball. 1922 Opening Day Warren Harding Griffith Stadium 1923 Opening Day Warren Harding Griffith Stadium Harding also threw out the first ball in the New York Yankees opening game, two days before. 1924 Opening Day Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1924 World Series Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1925 Opening Day Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1925 World Series Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1927 Opening Day Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1928 Opening Day Calvin Coolidge Griffith Stadium 1929 Opening Day Herbert Hoover Griffith Stadium 1929 World Series Herbert Hoover Shibe Park 1930 Opening Day Herbert Hoover Griffith Stadium 1930 World Series Herbert Hoover Shibe Park 1931 Opening Day Herbert Hoover Griffith Stadium 1932 Opening Day Herbert Hoover Griffith Stadium 1933 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1934 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1935 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1936 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1937 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1937 All-Star Game Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1938 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1940 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium Roosevelt's pitch hit a Washington Post camera.[3] 1941 Opening Day Franklin D. Roosevelt Griffith Stadium 1946 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1947 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1948 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1949 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1950 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium Truman threw out two balls, one left-handed and one right-handed. 1951 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1952 Opening Day Harry Truman Griffith Stadium 1953 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium Eisenhower skipped Opening Day to play golf at Augusta National, but the game was postponed by rain and he threw out the first ball at the rescheduled game. 1954 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1955 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1956 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1957 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1958 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1959 Opening Day Richard Nixon Griffith Stadium Nixon was vice president at the time; he was elected president in 1968. 1960 Opening Day Dwight Eisenhower Griffith Stadium 1961 Opening Day John F. Kennedy Griffith Stadium 1962 Opening Day John F. Kennedy D.C. Stadium First ball in new stadium 1963 Opening Day John F. Kennedy D.C. Stadium 1964 Opening Day Lyndon Johnson D.C. Stadium 1965 Opening Day Lyndon Johnson D.C. Stadium 1967 Opening Day Lyndon Johnson D.C. Stadium 1969 Opening Day Richard Nixon RFK Stadium 1970 All-Star Game Richard Nixon American League vs. National League Riverfront Stadium 1973 Opening Day Richard Nixon Anaheim Stadium First Opening Day held outside of Washington, D.C. 1976 Opening Day Gerald Ford Arlington Stadium 1976 All-Star Game Gerald Ford Veterans Stadium American League vs. National League 1979 World Series Jimmy Carter Memorial Stadium 1984 Opening Day Ronald Reagan Memorial Stadium 1986 Opening Day Ronald Reagan Memorial Stadium 1988 Opening Day Ronald Reagan Wrigley Field Reagan threw out two first pitches, then participated in the radio broadcast of the game for 1½ innings. 1989 Opening Day George H. W. Bush Memorial Stadium 1989 Japan Series Ronald Reagan Tokyo Dome Game 3 between the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Yomiuri Giants 1990 Opening Day George H. W. Bush SkyDome First Opening Day pitch to be thrown in Canada. 1991 Opening Day George H. W. Bush Arlington Stadium 1992 Opening Day George H. W. Bush Oriole Park at Camden Yards First MLB game at Camden Yards. 1993 Opening Day Bill Clinton Oriole Park at Camden Yards Before this, most presidents threw from the stands or at the base of the pitcher's mound; Clinton was the first president to successfully throw from the pitcher's mound to the catcher. 1994 Opening Day Bill Clinton Jacobs Field First MLB Game at Jacobs Field. 1996 Opening Day Bill Clinton Oriole Park at Camden Yards 1997 Opening Day Bill Clinton Shea Stadium 2000 Opening Day Bill Clinton Pacific Bell Park 2001 Opening Day George W. Bush Miller Park MLB Commissioner Bud Selig (a former owner of the Brewers) threw out the first pitch to celebrate the opening of the new park; Bush threw the second pitch. 2001 World Series George W. Bush Yankee Stadium This was the first World Series game in New York since the September 11 attacks; Bush wore a bulletproof vest and a Secret Service agent dressed as an umpire so he could be on the field. 2003 Opening Day George H.W. Bush Great American Ball Park 2004 Opening Day Jimmy Carter PETCO Park First MLB Game at PETCO Park 2004 Opening Day George W. Bush Busch Stadium 2005 Opening Day George W. Bush RFK Stadium 2005 was the Nationals' first season, making Bush the first president to throw out first pitch in Washington since Richard Nixon in 1969. 2006 Opening Day George W. Bush Great American Ball Park 2008 Opening Day George W. Bush Nationals Park This was the first pitch in new stadium. Bush also participated in ESPN's TV broadcast of the game and called the ballpark's first home run, hit by the Braves' Chipper Jones in the 4th inning. 2009 Opening Day George W. Bush Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Bush had owned the Rangers in the early 1990's. 2009 All-Star Game Barack Obama Busch Stadium 2009 Japan Series George W. Bush Tokyo Dome Game 3 between the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Yomiuri Giants. 2010 Opening Day Barack Obama Nationals Park 100th anniversary of the first Presidential Opening Day ceremonial first pitch 2010 World Series George W. Bush Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Former President Bush was accompanied to the mound by his father, George H.W. Bush, and Texas Rangers team president Nolan Ryan. 2011 College World Series George W. Bush TD Ameritrade Park Omaha This pitch marked the first game at the new home of the College World Series, replacing the nearby Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Before Bush threw out the first pitch, his father, who played for Yale in the first CWS in 1947, delivered a video message christening the new stadium. He is the first President to have thrown ceremonial first pitches for amateur and professional (both North America and Japanese) championship matches.[4] References
- ^ http://baseballetcetera.blogspot.com/
- ^ Duggan, Paul (April 2, 2007). "Balking at the First Pitch". Washington Post: p. A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040101262.html.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Associated Press (June 18, 2011). "Vanderbilt opens College World Series, new stadium with win". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/baseball/cws/recap?gameId=310618196&league=CWS. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
- "U.S. Presidents & Major League Baseball". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/prz_menu.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- [2]
External links
- The 7 Worst First Pitches By Famous People Ever - video by The Huffington Post
Categories:- Baseball culture
- Baseball terminology
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