10. April 14, 1910 – William Howard Taft becomes first President to throw out first pitch of MLB season
It’s been done by a dozen presidents since, but in 1910, rotund William Howard Taft became the first sitting President to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the Major League Baseball season.
At that time, the President would throw the pitch from his designated box near the field to a player in a ceremony to open the game, but as the video above shows, the tradition has now taken the President onto the field of play since Ronald Reagan threw from the field in an unscheduled appearance with the Baltimore Orioles for 1984’s Opening Day. President Bill Clinton made the tradition more of a challenge at an Orioles Opening Day in 1993, when he became the first President to throw from the top of the mound to the catcher.
There have been a few notable moments for Presidents throwing the first pitch. Franklin D. Roosevelt once hit a camera with a first pitch while in office. At Opening Day in 1950, Harry Truman threw out a pitch with both his right and left hands. President George H.W. Bush threw the first Opening Day pitch outside of the United States in Toronto in 1990.
Though it did not occur on an Opening Day, arguably one of the most memorable Presidential first pitches came in the 2001 World Series. It was Game 3 of the World Series, not the first game even, but it was the first World Series game to be played in New York City after 9/11, and the emotions were incredibly high.
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