Even Bob Gibson wasn’t this merciless. In what has to be a new best worst first pitch of all-time, 17-year-old Jordan Leandre plunked a photographer standing several feet behind and to the left of home plate before Wednesday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway. Leandre’s toss sailed high and to the right, so much that it briefly exited the broadcast screen’s view, before diving in a swoop reminiscent of Mike Cuellar’s screwball. It landed right in the lap of photog Tony Capobianco of the (Lawrence, Mass.) Eagle-Tribune, who came for a picture and all he got was this lousy rendition of “My Guitar Genitally Weeps.”
Befitting such a silly story, both the hurler and the man he somehow didn’t make hurl were terrific sports afterward. It’s also a terrific story. Leandre is a childhood cancer survivor and a Fenway Park regular: He’s now thrown out the first pitch before a game five times, per CBS-Boston, and sung the national anthem. He also spontaneously trotted around the bags after years of treatment 10 years ago.
He poked fun at himself after the throw, admitting he’s actually a pitcher. The Sox starter Wednesday night, Eduardo Rodriguez, surrendered four runs in the second inning, leaving Leandre to wonder what might’ve been. “E-Rod strugglingtonight, it’s a shame they didn’t leave me in. I was just getting warmed up.”
Capobianco was equally good-natured. “I’m the one who got hit and I will never stop laughing at that video.”
