The Best & Worst First Baseball Pitches
First pitches are the ceremonial first throw of the baseball at a game, typically thrown out by a celebrity or another important person. Typically, a first pitch is forgotten about, but sometimes those first pitches become the most memorable thing to happen at the stadium that night. Whether good or bad, these people have found themselves on this list of the best and worst first pitches of all time. Do you think George Bush had a good or bad pitch? Just wait and find out.
Best – Colin Kaepernick
Many people do not know that Colin Kaepernick was a pitcher in high school, and was actually drafted by the Chicago Cubs. Kaepernick however decided to play football, but that does not mean he lost any of his baseball knowledge. Kaepernick was throwing out the first pitch at a Giants game, and even though it was a little outside of the box, he was able to pitch an astonishing 87 mph fastball. What might be the fastest first pitch of all time, what is even more astonishing is that he is wearing jeans.
Worst – 50 Cent
50 cent is a well-known gangster rapper, so this pitch had to be a slight blow to the ego. The wind up was good, however, when the ball came out, it went wide left like he was tossing it to a cameraman. I will give him points for having the distance, but the catcher was not even able to run and get the ball, that is how far away it was. 50 seemed to have a good laugh about it, and I guess there is no such thing as bad publicity, right?
Best – Sister Mary Jo
Sister Mary Jo knew she was going to kill it from the very beginning. Sister Mary Jo is a nun, but you couldn’t hit one of her pitches. Sister Mary Jo remains the greatest baseball-playing nuns to ever play the game, not that there is much competition.
Worst – Carly Rae Jepson
Carly Rae Jepsen of Call Me Maybe fame has the distinct honor of having the worst female pitch ever. This pitch was reminiscent of 50 cent’s pitch, but at least he got the ball off the ground. Jepson’s pitch hit the ground immediately, and slowly bounced rolled itself into a small speaker. She seemed amused by the whole thing, but she will live forever in bad first pitch YouTube compilations.
Best – The Mouse King
My personal favorite of all the first pitches came from the Mouse King himself. The Mouse King from the Nutcracker stopped by Citizens Bank Park to throw out the first pitch to the Phillie Phanatic, who did not know what to make of the Mouse King. After catching the ball, the Phanatic slowly approached the Mouse King, and after handing him the ball, he quickly ran away. Can you blame the Phanatic? I would be terrified of a person with 360 degrees of mouse heads.
Worst – Baba Booey
Even though it may not be the absolute worst, this pitch is probably the most discussed bad first pitch of all time. Baba Booey is the executive producer for the Howard Stern Show. He was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game. However, the honor quickly shifted to shame when Bad News Booey threw the ball extremely light and far-right, to the point that the umpire needed to catch it. Anyone who is familiar with the Howard Stern Show knows that they do not keep their opinions to themselves, and they absolutely ripped the pitch to shreds. Just Google Baba Booey and one of the first things that will come up is his terrible first pitch.
Best – Max Ashton
Another one of the best first pitches came from Max Ashton, who was throwing out the first pitch at a Diamondbacks game on behalf of the Foundation for Blind Children. Max, who is blind himself, got onto the pitcher’s mound and threw the ball to the catcher perfectly. I mean really, the catcher barely had to move to make the catch. This pitch took many by surprise, and remains one of the go-to first pitches when discussing first pitches,
Worst – Dr. Anthony Facui
The absolute worst first pitch belongs to none other than Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He threw out the first pitch at a Nationals game dawning a facemask and threw a pitch that was so far to the side that it makes me lose hope for the future. The pitch was so bad, it took the title of the worst pitch of all time from Baba Booey. Really, ask anyone what the worst first pitch of all time was, and they will most likely say Fauci or Babe Booey. Though, for some reason, seeing his lack of athletic ability makes me trust his medical opinions even more.
Best – George Bush
Not only is this the best first pitch ever thrown, but it is also one of the most American things to ever take place. Before game three of the 2001 World Series, President Bush threw a perfect strike to a thunderous roar of applause. The thing that makes this first pitch so special is that it took place only one month after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Even greater is that the game was being played at Yankee Stadium in New York City. All of these variables, and watching our commander in chief calmly throw a strike can honestly make you emotional. Love him or hate him, this was the greatest of all the first pitches.
First pitches can be nerve-racking, to say the least, but Baba Booey has no excuses for a pitch that bad. Fauci gets a pass for being a nerd, but what are you doing Booey? Did I forget any really crappy first pitches or any really good ones? If so, let me know in the comments below!
