The current stop on the Stanley Cup tour is Nationals Park as the entire Capitals team were honored before Saturday’s game between the Nationals and Giants. The team did some more media, goofed around with their DC baseball peers, and captain Alex Ovechkin got to throw the ceremonial first pitch.
Twice.
By Chris Cerullo 1 year ago
Friday afternoon, reports surfaced that the Stanley Cup will be at Nats Park for Saturday’s Nationals-Giants game.
Now news has hit that Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the game.
By Elyse Bailey 1 year ago
US women’s hockey team member Haley Skarupa was honored Saturday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Rockville, Maryland native, who won gold in PyeongChang, South Korea, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Baltimore Orioles took on the Minnesota Twins.
Skarupa won gold for the first time after Team USA defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout. Skarupa is the first woman from the Washington metro area ever named to a US Hockey Olympic roster.
Caps fan and five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky threw out the first pitch tonight ahead of the Nationals/Orioles game at Nats Park. The Bethesda native threw a perfect strike down the middle to Shawn Kelley. Before the game, Ledecky said she had practiced with her neighbors. It showed.
A week ago, Caps fan Katie Ledecky returned to the United States to a hero’s welcome. The legendary swimmer won four gold medals, destroyed her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle, and broke the Olympic record in the 800-meter freestyle at the Rio Olympics.
The Bethesda native returned to the DC area this weekend, spending some time at Children’s National Hospital. A few hours ago, the Nationals announced that Ledecky will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Nats/Orioles game.
CSN Mid-Atlantic has been sharing highlights of Alex Ovechkin’s career all season. To celebrate baseball being back, tonight’s Ovechkin Moment was from September 27, 2006, when the Russian machine threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Washington Nationals game. It is so awkward and yet so amazing.
In the clips, Ovechkin is 21-years-old and has all his teeth. He does not know how to play the baseball.
Photo: Brad Mills
Classy. The Washington Nationals are not as near and dear to my heart as the Baltimore Orioles, but they did something super awesome on Thursday, when they had Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward throw out the first pitch before their game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ward getting the opportunity to throw out the first pitch after a career year is cool enough on its own, but doubly so because it came on Jackie Robinson Day at Nats Park. Ward wears #42 in honor of the Dodger legend.
After getting some advice from Nats pitcher Ross Detwiler, Ward stepped to the mound confidently and delivered a perfect strike. Though the heave was a bit of a moonshot.
Saturday at Harry Grove Stadium was Hockey Day. The Frederick Keys staff wore hockey gear (I’m wagging my finger at you, girl in Malkin shirsey), and two former Washington Capitals, Craig Laughlin and Alan May, threw out the ceremonial first pitches and signed autographs for fans on the concourse.
Before the first pitches were thrown, however, there was some intrigue.
The night before, during the Caps telecast, Laughlin promised to CSN Washington’s Joe Beninati that he would zing the ball into home plate going “105.”
Let’s goooooo to the videotape.
Photo credit: Ian Oland
On the eve of his 26th birthday (send us your birthday cards!), Alex Ovechkin — adorned with *gasp* Cal Ripken’s retired #8 Orioles jersey — traveled up I-95 Friday to take batting practice and throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Baltimore’s match-up against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The Great Hockey Eight, making his first ever appearance at Camden Yards, had only one goal: not to embarrass himself in front of a few thousand Charm-Citiers.
“I’m kinda excited,” Ovechkin told CSN’s Chris Miller before the first pitch. “I saw on YouTube John Wall’s [first pitch] a couple of minutes ago, and I hope it’s not gonna happen with me. I practice a little bit so it’s good. I feel comfortable.”
