Ceremonial first pitch

Ceremonial first pitch
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 Series

The 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

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ceremonial first puck — The ceremonial first puck is a longstanding ritual of ice hockey in which a guest of honor drops a puck to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Like baseball s ceremonial first pitch, this first puck does not actually… …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 World Series — Team (Wins) Manager Season …   Wikipedia

  • 2001 World Series — Team (Wins) Manager Season …   Wikipedia

  • Washington Nationals — This article is about the current Major League Baseball team. For other uses, see Washington Nationals (disambiguation). Washington Nationals 2012 Washington Nationals season Established 1969 …   Wikipedia

  • 2005 in baseball — See also: 2005 Major League Baseball season The following are the baseball events of the year 2005 throughout the world.   Contents 1 Headline events of the year 2 Champions 2.1 Major League Baseball …   Wikipedia

  • List of events at Yankee Stadium — Yankee Stadium is a stadium that opened in 1923 and closed in 2008. It was primarily the home field of the New York Yankees professional baseball club for over eight decades, but it also hosted football games, boxing matches, live concerts, and… …   Wikipedia

  • President of the United States — POTUS redirects here. For political talk radio, see P.O.T.U.S. (Sirius XM). For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). For a list, see List of Presidents of the United States. President of the United States of America …   Wikipedia

  • Nolan Ryan — Ryan in 1990 Pitcher Born: January 31, 1947 (1947 01 31) (age&# …   Wikipedia

  • 2006 World Series — Infobox World Series Expanded year = 2006 champion = St. Louis Cardinals (4) champion manager = Tony La Russa champion games = 83 78, .516, GA: 1½ runnerup = Detroit Tigers (1) runnerup manager = Jim Leyland runnerup games = 95 67, .586, GB: 1… …   Wikipedia

  • Mets–Yankees rivalry — New York Mets – New York Yankees    History First meeting J …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”