Ceremonial first pitch

History

The practice of having ceremonial first pitches dates back to at least 1890, when throwers were often a mayor, governor, or other locally notable individual. Ohio Governor (and future U.S. president) William McKinley, for example, "threw the ball into the diamond" before an opening day game between Toledo and Columbus in 1892. Former Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of an American All-Star team's tour of Japan in 1908, making him possibly the first person who had served as a national head of government to throw out a first pitch.

Ceremonial first pitches during the World Series are subject to the Commissioner of Baseball's approval. Section 7.13 of the World Series Manual states, "All first-ball throwers are subject to final approval of the commissioner. Recommendations are solicited from the participating clubs, but no commitments should be made until approval has been received. The use of politicians, movie stars, etc., will not be approved except in rare or unusual circumstances." Baltimore Orioles owner Jerold Hoffberger was fined $2,500 for allowing Maryland Governor Harry Hughes to throw out the first pitch before Game 2 of the 1979 World Series over the objections of Commissioner Bowie Kuhn.

On April 23, 2012, the Texas Rangers executed a unique twist on the first pitch tradition. Before the Rangers' home game against the New York Yankees, the team held an official retirement ceremony for longtime catcher Iván Rodríguez. Instead of going to the pitcher's mound, he went behind home plate and threw the first "pitch" to longtime teammate Michael Young, who was standing at second base.

On July 23, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, threw the first pitch of the 2020 MLB season after it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 9, 2024, during the second game of the London Series, instead of a ceremonial first pitch, Kaitlin Olson threw the ball to Rob McElhenney at shortstop, who then threw it to Bryce Harper on first base for the first "ceremonial double play".

On August 21, 2024, at a New York Mets home game against the Orioles, New York-based comedian Eitan Levine threw his 40th first pitch to break the Guinness World Record for ceremonial first pitches in a professional baseball season. The proceeds from this endeavor were donated to the Make-a-Wish foundation.

Presidential first pitches

The American tradition of presidential first pitches began in 1910, when United States President William Howard Taft threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Senators' Opening Day at Griffith Stadium. Every president since, with the exceptions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, has thrown out at least one ceremonial first pitch during or after their presidency, either for Opening Day, the All-Star Game, or the World Series, usually with much fanfare.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt has thrown the most presidential first pitches while in office at 11, while Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush have each thrown 14 first pitches overall, including those thrown before and after holding the office. Donald Trump and Jimmy Carter are the only presidents to not throw a ceremonial first pitch for an Opening Day during their presidency, though the latter did so after he left office. Trump had previously done one prior to his presidency for the minor league Somerset Patriots.

References

References

1. (3 September 2016). "President Taft, Governor McKinley and the "Lucky Seventh" Inning – the History and Origins of the Ceremonial "First Pitch" and the "Seventh Inning Stretch"".
2. (April 17, 1892). "Governor McKinley Started It". Omaha Daily Bee.
3. (November 23, 1908). "American Baseball Team is Victorious". Los Angeles Herald.
4. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/08/archives/governors-pitch-draws-fine.html "Governor's Pitch Draws Fine," United Press International (UPI), Wednesday, November 7, 1979.] Retrieved March 9, 2023.
5. Durrett, Richard. (April 24, 2012). "Ivan Rodriguez announces retirement". [[ESPN]].
6. (23 July 2020). "Dr. Fauci's First Pitch Was an Instant Classic".
7. "MLB London Series: Mets' deadline plans, a wild ninth inning and Trea Turner's status". The New York Times.
8. "Comedian makes wishes come true with record-setting 1st pitch".
9. Duggan, Paul. (April 2, 2007). "Balking at the First Pitch". The Washington Post.
10. Wulf, Steve. (April 3, 2017). "From Taft to Trump: Scouting presidential first pitches". [[ESPN]].
11. "When Donald Trump threw first pitch, landed helicopter at NJ baseball stadium".
12. Wallner, Jeff. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160302112311/http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/print.jsp?ymd=20060403&content_id=1381642&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc "President Bush tosses Opening pitch"], MLB.com, Monday, April 3, 2006
13. Beschloss, Michael. (October 24, 2014). "The President Attends the World Series". The New York Times.
14. [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/prz_cww.shtml President Woodrow Wilson Baseball Game Attendance Log] ''Baseball Almanac''
15. Walsh, Tom. (March 30, 2017). "President Hoover's torrid love affair ... with baseball". [[The Des Moines Register]].
16. D. Treese, Joel. "President Herbert Hoover and Baseball". [[The White House Historical Association]].
17. "President Franklin Roosevelt Baseball Game Attendance Log".
18. (9 July 1958). "All Star Game Highlights". [[The York Dispatch]].
19. (7 July 1959). "Richard Nixon throws out the first pitch at the 1959 All-Star Game". [[The Daily Sentinel (Colorado).
20. (August 16, 2017). "Old Timers' Day, New York Yankees Stadium, August 8, 1959". [[Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum]].
21. Glass, Andrew. (April 9, 2019). "JFK throws out first pitch on opening day, April 9, 1962". [[Politico]].
22. (16 April 2018). "Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964-1966". McFarland.
23. Allen, Scott. (March 29, 2018). "Fifty years ago, Nats' Opening Day was postponed after assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.". The Washington Post.
24. "July 23, 1969: Willie McCovey's two homers power National League to All-Star win". [[SABR]].
25. (24 June 2013). "1976 AL@NL: President Ford throws out first pitch".
26. (10 August 1981). "Bush brings baseball back with a slider". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]].
27. Putzel, Michael. (April 3, 1984). "Reagan Makes A Surprise Visit".
28. (16 July 1986). "Bush becomes most recent VP to toss 1st pitch". [[Democrat and Chronicle]].
29. (2003). "Opening Day at Great American Ball Park". Sports Publishing LLC.
30. (29 August 1988). "CAMPAIGN '88 : Bush Throws a Curve". Los Angeles Times.
31. Dowd, Maureen, [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/04/world/bush-takes-mubarak-out-to-the-ball-game.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm "Bush Takes Mubarak Out to the Ball Game"] ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, April 4, 1989
32. (1 April 1997). "Baseball: The Presidents' Game". Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
33. Thurber, David. (October 24, 1989). "Reagan Throws First Pitch in Japan, Nearly Hits Batter".
34. (June 18, 2011). "Vanderbilt opens College World Series, new stadium with win". ESPN.
35. (October 12, 2015). "Pres. George H.W. Bush, 91, throws out first pitch at Royals-Astros game (+video)". Kansas.com.
36. (May 21, 2021). "'He made us feel special': How George W. Bush's first pitch impacted Oklahoma State baseball". [[The Oklahoman]].
37. (28 October 2023). "Ex-President Bush throws 1st pitch to Pudge Rodriguez before Game 1". [[ESPN]].