Sunday and Monday mark Opening Day for all 30 Major League Baseball teams, an annual rite that ushers in the spring.
Celebrities traditionally throw out a ceremonial first pitch. That’s happening again this year with Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons appearing in Detroit, and Rob Manfred, the new MLB commissioner, heading to the mound in Washington, D.C.
But politicians get in on the act, too. As every sitting president going back to President William Howard Taft has thrown out a first pitch, according to Baseball-Almanac.com, The Washington Examiner decided to compile a brief history in words and videos of their efforts — both heroic and lame.
OBAMA
President Obama has thrown the Opening Day first pitch just once, at Nationals Park in 2010.
Obama also threw at the 2009 All-Star Game.
WOODROW WILSON
There’s even video of President Woodrow Wilson throwing out a first pitch, but it’s unclear when during his presidency it occurred.
JIMMY CARTER
President Jimmy 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
Ceremonial first pitches didn’t always look like they do today. For much of history, it was thrown from the first row of the stands to a player waiting on the field. At the 1976 All-Star Game, President Ford did it this way, throwing two pitches ambidextrously, one with this left arm one with his right. The pitch also may have been a shrewd political move to distract attention from the Democratic National Convention happening that same evening.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
Sometimes, rather than having one player catch the ball, the president would throw the ball into a crowd of players who would fight over the souvenir, as happened in 1961 with President Kennedy’s first pitch.
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, 11 over the course of his 12-year presidency.
Having the sitting president throw out the first pitch might bring the home team a little bit of good fortune. Of the 78 games with the president throwing a first pitch, the home team as a .526 winning percentage. When Presidents Johnson, Carter, Reagan and Obama threw out the first pitch, the home team failed every time. On the other hand, both of President Ford’s first pitches ended in a home team victory.
Despite only serving one-term, President H.W. Bush is second-only to President Roosevelt in total first pitches and home-team victories. He threw out eight first pitches, five of which ended in wins for the home side.
HARRY TRUMAN
President Harry Truman also threw out eight first pitches.
BILL CLINTON
President Bill Clinton threw the first pitch for the first-ever game at Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, now called Progressive Field.
That first pitch and one other of Clinton’s three first pitches ended in victory for the home team.
