What are the best ceremonial first pitches in MLB history?

Ichiro Suzuki displaying up for the Seattle Mariners’ Opening Day sport, in full uniform, to deliver a first pitch? That is a terrific second proper there, enjoyable for the entire household. Who does not love Ichiro? It is onerous to not when he is dressed like he can nonetheless take the sphere, and since he can nonetheless throw 84 mph, it is most likely not only for present, both. 

What are one of the best ceremonial first pitches? Let’s have a look across the league’s historical past for a number of the most enjoyable that every one varieties of individuals had on the market with the highlight on them, and tens of hundreds of individuals ready to see if they might even attain the plate. 

Ichiro Suzuki (2022)

Whereas we’re already on the topic, here is Ichiro once more, when he took the mound in 2022 for a primary pitch. Whereas the 2025 try was a approach to have fun his near-unanimous election to baseball’s Corridor of Fame, in 2022, Ichiro was wearing his 2001 Mariners’ gear, throwing out the primary pitch to the promising rookie outfielder, Julio Rodríguez.

Ichiro clocked in at 84.5 mph again then, too, which was spectacular sufficient by itself for a 48-year-old who was not energetic and in addition wasn’t a pitcher. However that he is held that velocity over the past three years now, regardless of being far sufficient from his taking part in profession that he may very well be elected to Cooperstown. Ichiro stays a delight.

Sister Mary Jo (2018)

Sister Mary Sobieck — recognized extra popularly now as Sister Mary Jo — did not simply throw a strike when she received the prospect to toss out the primary pitch at a Chicago White Sox sport in 2018. No, she determined to indicate off a little bit earlier than the pitch, bouncing the ball off of her arm and catching it earlier than letting it rip.

It seems she took one thing off of the pitch, too, because the video explains that she will be able to really throw 76 mph. Sister Mary Jo was a three-sport athlete in highschool and her first two years of faculty, and, like Ichiro, wasn’t displaying indicators of rust regardless of being 50 herself on the time of the pitch. 

Not a number of first pitch throwers find yourself with a bobblehead, baseball card, and ESPY nomination, . However Sister Mary Jo received all three. 

Flips, flips, flips (2011-2024)

There’s a whole style of first pitch, from the final 15 years or so, the place somebody who can do some killer flips and contortions does simply that earlier than their pitch. Typically nicely in entrance of the mound, generally one way or the other on the mound, and whatever the location all of them are a terrific watch. 

Nastia Liukin, who gained a United States gymnastics record-tying 5 gold medals on the 2008 Olympic video games, popped up in 2017 earlier than a Los Angeles Angels sport to throw out a primary pitch with a twist.

Legendary Olympic gymnast and champion Simone Biles has thrown a number of first pitches, and generally they’re fairly normal affairs. Earlier than Sport 2 of the 2019 World Collection between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, although, Biles determined to indicate off these expertise which have gained her 11 Olympic medals by doing a twisting flip earlier than settling in to toss the pitch.

Then, in 2024, one other Olympic gold medalist, Hezly Rivera, flipped towards the plate as a part of the lead-up to the precise pitch, paying homage to Liukin’s transfer from over a decade earlier than.

To future Olympic gymnast champions, your purpose is obvious: make the flip a part of the precise throwing movement of your ceremonial first pitch, and change into immortal. Effectively, immortal once more, you are already an Olympic champion on this situation. 

It is not simply Olympians who can jazz up their first pitch by flying by way of the air. Health influencer Demi Bagby flipped and made a cut up a part of her pitch for the San Diego Padres, and, fortunately, preserved the second on her personal YouTube web page.

And who can neglect Gabryel Nogueira da Silva, the Cirque du Soleil performer that the Padres invited to throw out the primary pitch again in 2011? 

That is the closest we have gotten to the dream of the throwing movement being a part of the acrobatics as an alternative of “simply” what occurs after them. The dream might be actuality. Even when it’s a balk. Hey, these are ceremonial first pitches, the foundations might be ignored.

Apart from that flips are fantastic, it is also fairly clear from all of this that the Padres love mixing it up with their first pitches. Although, that time with the velociraptor does not qualify right here because it did not attain the plate with its throw. Then once more, the raptor did throw the pitch with its mouth, so, let’s give it a spherical of applause once more, anyway.

The video is labeled “child T-Rex,” however the announcers say “raptor,” which you already know because you simply watched it.

By way of Catapult (2016)

For a S.T.E.A.M. day in Miami in 2016 — that is Science, Expertise, Engineering, the Arts, and Arithmetic — college students constructed a catapult, and used it to throw out the primary pitch for the Marlins. It is most likely a superb factor that the recipient of the primary pitch, Billy the Marlin, had a mascot’s getup to guard himself: that factor was flying.

Katie Ledecky exhibits off (2016)

What’s nice about this Katie Ledecky first pitch earlier than a Washington Nationals sport — moreover that she threw a strike, however a number of individuals do this — is that she introduced then-Nationals star Bryce Harper on the market along with her, and took off her many Olympic medals, separately, for him to carry whereas she did her factor. 

That is simply displaying off, however hey, she earned it. And it isn’t like they had been going to construct her a pool to swim a ball to the top of earlier than throwing it, so making everybody wait to see simply how wonderful your Olympic efficiency is needed to suffice.

Main League Baseball is not the one place the place ceremonial first pitches are an establishment. In Nippon Skilled Baseball, first pitches are an concerned affair that always embody mascots, celebrities, a participant swinging (and lacking) on the pitch, and even the occasional wrestling match. 

Frankly, extra ceremonial first pitches ought to finish with a surfboard stretch. You recognize you wish to see John Cena attempt to faucet out the Phillie Phanatic, if solely to listen to what sort of noises the Phanatic would make with the STF utilized. 

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