The ceremonial first ball is a longstanding ritual

Ritual

A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....

 of American baseball

History of baseball in the United States

The history of baseball in the United States can be traced to the 18th century, when amateurs played a baseball-like game by their own informal rules using improvised equipment...

 in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from his/her place in the grandstand to the pitcher or catcher of the home team. At some point , this morphed into the guest standing in front of the pitcher's mound and throwing towards (but rarely reaching) home plate

Home Plate

Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...

, though sometimes he or she may stand on the mound (as a pitcher would). The recipient of the pitch is usually a player from the home team.

The ceremonial thrower may be a notable person (dignitary, celebrity, former player, etc.) who is in attendance, an executive from a company that sponsors the team (especially when that company has sponsored that night's promotional giveaway), or a person who won the first pitch opportunity as a contest prize. Often, especially in the minor league

Minor league

Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...

s, multiple first pitches are made.

Generally, ceremonial opening pitches are either not counted in the count, or counted as a ball. There is typically no batter.

Presidential first pitches

Former Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu

Okuma Shigenobu

Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...

 was the first person to throw a ceremonial first pitch, doing so at a 1908 game in Koshien

Koshien

Kōshien is a district of Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan.Kōshien also refers to:*Koshien Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, which is the venue of the annual high school baseball tournaments:...

 Japan.

President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

 started the American tradition in 1910

1910 in baseball

-Champions:*World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over Chicago Cubs -Awards and honors:*Chalmers Award**Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers, OF**Nap Lajoie, Cleveland Naps-MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:...

 at Griffith Stadium

Griffith Stadium

Griffith Stadium was a sports stadium that stood in Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street, and between W Street and Florida Avenue, NW. An earlier wooden baseball park had been built on the same site in 1891...

, Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, on the Washington Senators

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

' Opening Day

Opening Day

Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...

. Every President since Taft has thrown out at least one ceremonial first ball or pitch, either for Opening Day, the All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

, or the World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

, usually with much fanfare.

Presidential First Pitches

Year	President	Ballpark	Notes
1910 Opening Day	William Howard Taft William Howard Taft William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...	National Park Boundary Field Boundary Field is a former baseball ground located in Washington, D.C. located on a larger block bounded approximately by Georgia Avenue, 5th Street, W Street and Florida Avenue, NW...	First Opening Day ball
1911 Opening Day	William Howard Taft	Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium was a sports stadium that stood in Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street, and between W Street and Florida Avenue, NW. An earlier wooden baseball park had been built on the same site in 1891...	Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920.
1912 Opening Day	Vice President James S. Sherman James S. Sherman James Schoolcraft Sherman was a United States Representative from New York and the 27th Vice President of the United States . He was a member of the Baldwin, Hoar, and Sherman families.-Early life:...	Griffith Stadium	Taft did not attend because of the death of his friend Archibald Butt Archibald Butt Major Archibald Willingham Butt was an influential military aide to U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Before becoming an aide to Roosevelt, Butt had pursued a career in journalism and served in the Spanish-American War...  in the Titanic disaster. Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920.
1913 Opening Day	Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...	Griffith Stadium	Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920.
1915 Opening Day	Woodrow Wilson	Griffith Stadium	Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920.
1915 World Series 1915 World Series In the 1915 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one.In their only World Series before , the Phillies won Game 1 before being swept the rest of the way. It was 65 years before the Phillies won their next Series game...	Woodrow Wilson	Baker Bowl Baker Bowl Baker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
1916 Opening Day	Woodrow Wilson	Griffith Stadium	Griffith Stadium was called National Park until 1920.
1921 Opening Day	Warren Harding	Griffith Stadium	First loss for the Senators with a President throwing out the first ball.
1922 Opening Day	Warren Harding	Griffith Stadium
1923 Opening Day	Warren Harding	Griffith Stadium	Harding also threw out the first ball in the New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...  opening game, two days before.
1924 Opening Day	Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...	Griffith Stadium
1924 World Series 1924 World Series In the 1924 World Series, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in seven games. The Giants became the first team to play in four consecutive World Series, winning in 1921–1922 and losing in 1923–1924. Their long-time manager, John McGraw, made his ninth and final World Series appearance...	Calvin Coolidge	Griffith Stadium
1925 Opening Day	Calvin Coolidge	Griffith Stadium
1925 World Series	Calvin Coolidge	Griffith Stadium
1927 Opening Day	Calvin Coolidge	Griffith Stadium
1928 Opening Day	Calvin Coolidge	Griffith Stadium
1929 Opening Day	Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...	Griffith Stadium
1929 World Series 1929 World Series In the 1929 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs in five games.The famous "Mack Attack" occurred in 1929, named for manager of the Athletics, Connie Mack, in which the Athletics overcame an eight-run deficit by scoring ten runs in the seventh inning of Game 4...	Herbert Hoover	Shibe Park
1930 Opening Day	Herbert Hoover	Griffith Stadium
1930 World Series 1930 World Series In the 1930 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, 4–2. Philadelphia's pitching ace Lefty Grove won two games.The St...	Herbert Hoover	Shibe Park
1931 Opening Day	Herbert Hoover	Griffith Stadium
1932 Opening Day	Herbert Hoover	Griffith Stadium
1933 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...	Griffith Stadium
1934 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1935 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1936 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1937 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1937 All-Star Game 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the fifth playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 7, 1937, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., the home of...	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1938 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1940 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium	Roosevelt's pitch hit a Washington Post camera.
1941 Opening Day	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Griffith Stadium
1946 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1947 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1948 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1949 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1950 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium	Truman threw out two balls, one left-handed and one right-handed.
1951 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1952 Opening Day	Harry Truman	Griffith Stadium
1953 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium	Eisenhower skipped Opening Day to play golf at Augusta National Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual... , but the game was postponed by rain and he threw out the first ball at the rescheduled game.
1954 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1955 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1956 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1957 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1958 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1959 Opening Day	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...	Griffith Stadium	Nixon was vice president at the time; he was elected president in 1968.
1960 Opening Day	Dwight Eisenhower	Griffith Stadium
1961 Opening Day	John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....	Griffith Stadium
1962 Opening Day	John F. Kennedy	D.C. Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United....	First ball in new stadium
1963 Opening Day	John F. Kennedy	D.C. Stadium
1964 Opening Day	Lyndon Johnson	D.C. Stadium
1965 Opening Day	Lyndon Johnson	D.C. Stadium
1967 Opening Day	Lyndon Johnson	D.C. Stadium
1969 Opening Day	Richard Nixon	RFK Stadium
1970 All-Star Game 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 41st midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 14, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the...	Richard Nixon	American League vs. National League	Riverfront Stadium
1973 Opening Day	Richard Nixon	Anaheim Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...	First Opening Day held outside of Washington, D.C.
1976 Opening Day	Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...	Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993, when the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington .-1960s:The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike...
1976 All-Star Game 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 47th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 13, 1976 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of...	Gerald Ford	Veterans Stadium Veterans Stadium Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...	American League vs. National League
1979 World Series 1979 World Series The 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...	Memorial Stadium Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
1984 Opening Day	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....	Memorial Stadium
1986 Opening Day	Ronald Reagan	Memorial Stadium
1988 Opening Day	Ronald Reagan	Wrigley Field Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...	Reagan threw out two first pitches, then participated in the radio broadcast of the game for 1½ innings.
1989 Opening Day	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...	Memorial Stadium
1989 Japan Series 1989 Japan Series -Game 1:-Game 2:-Game 3:-Game 4:-Game 5:-Game 6:-Game 7:-External links:* --Official website...	Ronald Reagan	Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...	Game 3 between the Kintetsu Buffaloes Kintetsu Buffaloes The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...  and Yomiuri Giants Yomiuri Giants The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
1990 Opening Day	George H. W. Bush	SkyDome Rogers Centre Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...	First Opening Day pitch to be thrown in Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... .
1991 Opening Day	George H. W. Bush	Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993, when the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington .-1960s:The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike...
1992 Opening Day	George H. W. Bush	Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...	First MLB game at Camden Yards.
1993 Opening Day	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...	Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...	Before this, most presidents threw from the stands or at the base of the pitcher's mound; Clinton was the first president to successfully throw from the pitcher's mound to the catcher.
1994 Opening Day	Bill Clinton	Jacobs Field	First MLB Game at Jacobs Field.
1996 Opening Day	Bill Clinton	Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
1997 Opening Day	Bill Clinton	Shea Stadium Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
2000 Opening Day	Bill Clinton	Pacific Bell Park AT&T Park AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
2001 Opening Day	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....	Miller Park	MLB Commissioner Bud Selig Bud Selig Allan Huber "Bud" Selig is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998...  (a former owner of the Brewers) threw out the first pitch to celebrate the opening of the new park; Bush threw the second pitch.
2001 World Series 2001 World Series -Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...	George W. Bush	Yankee Stadium	This was the first World Series game in New York since the September 11 attacks; Bush wore a bulletproof vest Bulletproof vest A ballistic vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso...  and a Secret Service United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...  agent dressed as an umpire Umpire (baseball) In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...  so he could be on the field.
2003 Opening Day	George H.W. Bush	Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park The Great American Ball Park is a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. It opened in 2003, replacing the Reds' former home, Cinergy Field, which was known as Riverfront Stadium from its opening in June 1970 until the 1996...
2004 Opening Day	Jimmy Carter	PETCO Park PETCO Park Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...	First MLB Game at PETCO Park
2004 Opening Day	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....	Busch Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
2005 Opening Day	George W. Bush	RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United....	2005 was the Nationals' first season, making Bush the first president to throw out first pitch in Washington since Richard Nixon in 1969.
2006 Opening Day	George W. Bush	Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park The Great American Ball Park is a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the National League's Cincinnati Reds. It opened in 2003, replacing the Reds' former home, Cinergy Field, which was known as Riverfront Stadium from its opening in June 1970 until the 1996...
2008 Opening Day	George W. Bush	Nationals Park	This was the first pitch in new stadium. Bush also participated in ESPN's TV broadcast of the game and called the ballpark's first home run, hit by the Braves' Chipper Jones Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves...  in the 4th inning.
2009 Opening Day	George W. Bush	Rangers Ballpark in Arlington	Bush had owned the Rangers in the early 1990's.
2009 All-Star Game 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the...	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...	Busch Stadium Busch Stadium Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...
2009 Japan Series 2009 Japan Series -Summary:-Game 1:Saturday, October 31, 2009 at Sapporo Dome in Sapporo, HokkaidōAfter a scoreless first inning, Yoshitomo Tani hit a home run off of Fighters' starter Masaru Takeda to put the Giants up 1–0 in the top of the second inning. During the bottom half of the inning, however, Terrmel...	George W. Bush	Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...	Game 3 between the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...  and the Yomiuri Giants Yomiuri Giants The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the... .
2010 Opening Day	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...	Nationals Park	100th anniversary of the first Presidential Opening Day ceremonial first pitch
2010 World Series 2010 World Series The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...	George W. Bush	Rangers Ballpark in Arlington	Former President Bush was accompanied to the mound by his father, George H.W. Bush, and Texas Rangers Texas Rangers (baseball) The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...  team president Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.... .
2011 College World Series 2011 College World Series The 2011 College World Series began on June 18, 2011 and concluded on June 28 with the University of South Carolina defeating the University of Florida by a score of 5-2 in Omaha, Nebraska at TD Ameritrade Park. TD Ameritrade Park replaced Rosenblatt Stadium, which hosted the CWS from 1950–2010...	George W. Bush	TD Ameritrade Park Omaha	This pitch marked the first game at the new home of the College World Series College World Series The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,... , replacing the nearby Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers... . Before Bush threw out the first pitch, his father, who played for Yale Yale Bulldogs The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Yale University. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, and twenty one in men's golf.-Men's baseball:...  in the first CWS in 1947 1947 College World Series The College World Series was played at Hyames Field in Kalamazoo, Michigan from June 27 to June 28. The first tournament's champion was California, coached by Clint Evans.-Participants:-Bracket:-Game results:-Notable players:... , delivered a video message christening the new stadium. He is the first President to have thrown ceremonial first pitches for amateur and professional (both North America and Japanese) championship matches.

External links

• The 7 Worst First Pitches By Famous People Ever - video by The Huffington Post

• The 10 Worst Ceremonial First Pitches