Sunday and Monday mark Opening Day for all 30 Major League Baseball teams, an annual rite that ushers in the spring.
Every sitting president going back to President William Howard Taft has thrown out a first pitch, according to Baseball-Almanac.com. President Trump won’t continue that tradition this year. Trump, citing a scheduling conflict, turned down an offer to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Monday at Nationals Park.
Hopefully, Trump will find another time to throw out a first pitch to continue the presidential tradition. Here’s a brief history of each president’s efforts — both heroic and lame.
DONALD TRUMP
Trump has thrown out the first pitch before, but we couldn’t find a video of it. Perhaps the unflattering pictures are why Trump didn’t jump at the opportunity to throw a first pitch.
BARACK OBAMA
President Barack Obama threw the Opening Day first pitch just once, at Nationals Park in 2010.
Obama also threw out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game, in the infamous “mom jeans” incident.
WOODROW WILSON
Surprisingly, there’s video of President Woodrow Wilson throwing out a first pitch, but it’s unclear when during his presidency it occurred. Originally, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown from the stands and players fought over the ball.
JIMMY CARTER
President Carter only threw one ceremonial first pitch, but the stage could not have been more crucial: Game 7 of the 1979 World Series.
Here’s footage of Carter throwing a high strike 15 years after he’d left office.
GEORGE W. BUSH
President George W. Bush threw one of the most memorable first pitches. In 2001, just months after Sept. 11, Bush went to New York City to throw out the first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series. Wearing a bulletproof vest, he threw a perfect strike all the way from the pitcher’s mound to home plate.
RONALD REAGAN
In 1988, President Reagan made a surprise appearance at Wrigley Field to throw out two first pitches, with commentators joking Reagan didn’t think the first pitch was good enough. Very early in his career, Reagan was a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
The first President Bush actually captained the Yale baseball team and played in the first two College World Series. However, that skill didn’t show when his first pitch on Opening Day in Baltimore in 1989 was high and outside.
It also didn’t show at Camden Yards’ first-ever game in 1992 when his pitch was low and inside.
GERALD FORD
At the 1976 All-Star Game, President Ford did the first pitch his own way, throwing two pitches ambidextrously, one with this left arm one with his right. The pitch(es) also may have been a shrewd political move to distract attention from the Democratic National Convention happening that same evening.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
President Kennedy threw out the first pitch on four different occasions in his short time as president, each time in Washington D.C. Three of those pitches were at District of Columbia Stadium, which was renamed in January 1969 after Kennedy’s slain brother, Robert.
RICHARD NIXON
President Nixon, throwing out the first pitch at the 1970 All-Star game, simply threw to Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan.
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
President Franklin Roosevelt threw out the most first pitches of any sitting president: 11 over the course of his 12-plus-year presidency.
HARRY TRUMAN
Roosevelt’s successor threw out eight first pitches.
BILL CLINTON
President Clinton threw the first pitch for the first-ever game at Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, now called Progressive Field.
Again, hopefully, Trump will continue this tradition.
Jason Russell is the contributors editor for the Washington Examiner.
