The First Pitch in Baseball is a Timeless Tradition

The ceremonial first pitch in the sport of baseball was first recorded in a 1908 game in Koshien Japan. The pitch was thrown by former Japanese Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu. In the United States, the tradition was started two years later in 1910 when President William Taft threw a ceremonial first pitch in Washington D.C. before a Senator's game. Since that day in 1910, every President of the United States has thrown the ceremonial pitch on either Opening Day, the MLB All Star Game or the World Series. These are some of the biggest baseball moments in a MLB season and it is only fitting that a President should be the thrower. Aside from these big moments, the first pitch ceremony has been incorporated into the pre-game fesitivies of many regualar season baseball games.

The ceremonial thrower isn't normally picked by random.

The first pitch is typically thrown by former baseball greats, high profile athletes, high ranking government officials, an executive from a sponsor company, a first pitch contest prize winner or celebrities. The thrower can be either male or female. The long list of famous throwers in history include Mariah Carey, Mark Wahlberg, Baba Booey, Kevin Garnett and Carl Lewis. These days, the ceremonial thrower stands in front or on top of the pitching mound and throws the first pitch to a member of the home team. This wasn't always the case though, as there was time when the thrower threw a ball from where they were sitting in the stands. They would throw to either a pitcher or a catcher from the home team.

The first pitch has become quite a big deal for baseball fans all around.

This is great for fans as this ceremony brings plenty of joy to fans before the game. Most of these first pitches are either televised nationally, regionally or on shown on post-game highlight reels. Laughter is also common during these throws as fans are amused when the ball does not reach home plate or takes a wild turn away from home plate. In any event, the first pitch signifies the start of the game and fans just can't wait to see their favorite players hit the field. With all of the pre-game festivities going on before a baseball game, we can see why the ceremonial first pitch is so popular.

Source: http://leisure.ezinemark.com/the-first-pitch-in-baseball-is-a-timeless-tradition-7d34b0629cbf.html

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