• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ceremonial throw is baseball’s moment to harness star power.

Brookfield Zoo Chicago and Chicago White Sox
Exclusive

Billionaire Bill Ackman Prepares for ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Tennis Match in Newport

Ackman says he's "peaking next week" at the Hall of Fame Open.
Read Now
July 4, 2025 |

Pepe the penguin waddled out to a roar from the White Sox crowd on World Oceans Day on June 8 as an emissary from Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo. When famous guests and icons visit MLB stadiums, they’re escorted to the stadium’s most visible real estate: the pitcher’s mound. 

That’s how Pepe ended up toeing the rubber for a ceremonial first pitch. (The Zoo president did the throwing, and Brookfield tells Front Office Sports that the experience was crucial “enrichment” for Pepe.) “Pepe the penguin seemed like a really cute way to help people focus on the zoo’s message of sustainability,” White Sox VP of PR Sheena Quinn tells Front Office Sports. 

Originally the purview of presidents—the tradition is said to have started with President William Howard Taft in 1910—ceremonial first pitches are a way for teams to reward sponsors, connect with their community, highlight celebrity fans, manufacture feel-good moments, and maybe even create the right conditions for viral content. 

“It’s the ability to bring star power into the ballpark. If you look at the NBA, you have courtside [seats], celebrity row,” says Mets VP of brand marketing and game-day operations Trisha Donlin. “I think first pitches is our version of that.” 

That star power can run the gamut—zoo animals, new draft picks or athletes from other local teams, musicians or movie stars, or notably for the Mets last season: Grimace, the McDonald’s mascot-turned-Queens folk hero. His ceremonial toss coincided with the start of a season-altering winning streak—and fans took the first-pitch moment and fully ran with it, making the purple, fluffy character a totem of success.

Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Former Chicago Bulls player Derrick Rose throws out a ceremonial first pitch during the Chicago White Sox Opening day ceremony at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Matt Marton/Imagn Images

Fan reaction may be spontaneous, but the ritual moment itself can take months of planning. White Sox director of game operations and video production Dan Mielke says the planning for first pitches starts in November. “And then all the way up to basically the day of the game. If it’s a celebrity that says, ‘Hey, we’re going to be in town tonight, is there an opening?’ We’ll try and fit them in.” 

The celebrities and icons get “ceremonial” first-pitch designation, but some first-pitch experiences are earmarked for sponsors, season-ticket holders, and other partners. That means the single-pitch tradition is sometimes accompanied by a few other “honorary” tosses. 

Donlin says she’s actively trying to curtail the congestion for the Mets. “It’s all about maintaining the integrity of the asset,” she says. “It is our highest-visibility opportunity. It’s a really special piece of baseball games.”

Donlin’s favorite moment so far this season was the pitch from Mets superfan John Mayer. The musical artist wrote a long heartfelt post about how much inspiration he found in the 2024 team, and Francisco Lindor in particular, after they were eliminated in the National League Championship Series last October. 

“So I reached out to him, and I said, ‘Why don’t you come throw out a first pitch?’” Donlin says. “And he was like, ‘I want Lindor to invite me.’” 

Lindor obliged, inviting Mayer to perform the ritual on the mound in late April. Before the big moment, they practiced playing catch. This is a key part of the first-pitch experience. Mielke used to warm up with the White Sox first-pitch honorees in the service tunnel under the concourse, parlaying a Division III college baseball career into playing catch with nervous celebrities. 

“I always tell people a couple things when they’re warming up,” the White Sox’s Quinn says. “Don’t try to throw fast unless you are a former baseball player or softball player. You don’t want to be the person that’s trying to throw the heat and misses, because those are the ones that get picked up. You want to throw high.”

Mayer looked good in the warmup. “He did a lot of great practice ones,” Donlin says. He chose to throw from the grass. If people ask to go up to the top of the mound to throw off the pitching rubber, teams will oblige. But it’s farther than it looks on TV.

Apr 29, 2025; New York City, New York, USA;  American singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer, right, poses for a photo with New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) before the game between the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field.
Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images

“I think he wishes that his actual [pitch] was better,” Donlin says. “But he was very poetic about the whole experience.” 

It probably wasn’t so bad that he’ll need a mulligan—like WWE star Tiffany Stratton, whose first pitch sailed to the backstop and earned her a return invite later this season for redemption. And it wasn’t as bad as the iconically awful 50 Cent first pitch from more than a decade ago, when the ball sailed so far off the plate it nearly nicked a cameraman. (“We would be open to redemption there,” Donlin says.) 

But it helps to explain why some celebrities opt to forgo the honor altogether. Not everyone is brave enough to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. “I can’t remember who exactly, but we have had [celebrities say], ‘I don’t want to be the meme of 2025,’” Donlin says. “Which is totally understandable.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) heads to the dugout prior to the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

MLB Changes Are ‘Showing Great Results’: Former CFO

Big stars playing in major markets “make a real difference.”

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.

Hot Dog Maven George Shea on Chestnut Comeback and Investor Interest

George Shea runs a real estate PR firm and Major League Eating.
Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field.

California AG Says Daily Fantasy Sports Are Illegal

The AG rejected arguments that DFS are games of skill, not chance.

Featured Today

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Michael Johnson

Grand Slam Track Still Owes Athletes $13 Million: Source

The new track league hasn’t paid athletes in full yet.
Sophie Cunningham
July 2, 2025

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.
July 2, 2025

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In

NHL players last competed in the Olympics in 2014.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
exclusive
July 2, 2025

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.
Red Panda
July 2, 2025

Red Panda Hospitalized After WNBA Halftime Fall

The beloved performer was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
July 1, 2025

WNBA Roster Limits Under Fire After Vanloo’s Valkyries Release

Kaitlyn Chen remains on the Valkyries roster.
July 1, 2025

LIV Golf CEO Pushes Back On PGA Tour Merger

Scott O’Neil said there could be new opportunities for the Tour’s players.