Throwing a ceremonial first pitch sounds simple until thousands of fans are watching and home plate suddenly feels impossibly far away. Some celebrities step onto the mound and deliver a strike that earns genuine respect. Others send the ball bouncing into the dirt, sailing toward the backstop, or flying nowhere near the catcher.
That unpredictability is what makes the tradition so entertaining. The pitch does not count in the score, but one perfect throw or spectacular miss can become the most memorable moment of the night. Athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, and other famous guests have all discovered that baseball has a way of humbling almost everyone.
These 19 celebrity first pitches range from surprisingly impressive to painfully bad. Some showed real skill, while others became instant comedy classics that fans are still replaying years later.
Best: Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis Turned the Mound Into a Comedy Show
Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis visited Wrigley Field in 2012 while promoting their comedy “The Campaign,” and the pair treated the ceremonial first pitch like another scene from the movie. Galifianakis took the mound first while wearing a yellow visor and sunglasses, then delivered a respectable throw to Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster. Before Ferrell could follow, a deep-dish pizza was carried onto the field, giving the comedians time to enjoy a slice on the mound. Ferrell then surprised the crowd by firing a hard, accurate pitch. The two continued the routine by announcing a deliberately ridiculous version of the Cubs’ starting lineup, turning an ordinary pregame ceremony into a full comedy performance.
Worst: Snoop Dogg Missed in the Opposite Direction From 50 Cent
Snoop Dogg looked comfortable when he stepped onto the mound before a 2016 game between the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. Wearing a customized Padres jersey, he raised his leg and began his delivery with enough confidence to make the crowd expect a solid throw. Instead, the ball sailed wildly to his right, passing well outside the batter’s box and forcing people near the camera area to react. Snoop immediately laughed at himself and later joked that the miss was a tribute to his friend 50 Cent, whose infamous pitch had traveled far in the opposite direction. The rapper’s good humor saved the moment, but the throw still earned a place among baseball’s most spectacular misses.
Best: Simu Liu Followed a Strike With a Backflip
Simu Liu delivered one of the most complete ceremonial first-pitch performances before a 2021 game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. The actor, who had recently starred in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” stood on the mound and sent an accurate pitch across the plate. That alone would have been enough to earn applause, but Liu was not finished. Without stepping away from the mound, he launched himself into a smooth backflip and landed cleanly on his feet. The combination of a legitimate strike and an athletic celebration made the appearance memorable for more than celebrity value. The image shown here is from a separate first-pitch appearance at a Toronto Blue Jays game in 2022.
Worst: Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Pitch Traveled Far to the Left
Dr. Anthony Fauci received the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch before the Washington Nationals opened the delayed 2020 baseball season against the New York Yankees. The setting was already unusual because pandemic restrictions left the stadium without its normal crowd. Fauci, who was 79 at the time, threw from the pitching rubber and appeared to lose his balance while moving down the slope of the mound. The ball traveled far to the left of home plate and landed nowhere near the waiting catcher. Fauci responded with a shrug and later acknowledged that the attempt had gone badly. At least there were fewer fans in the building to witness a pitch that quickly spread across the internet.
Best: Simone Biles and Suni Lee Added Gymnastics to the First Pitch
Olympic champions Simone Biles and Suni Lee each found a way to bring gymnastics onto a baseball field. Before Game 2 of the 2019 World Series in Houston, Biles performed a twisting backflip from a standing position while wearing jeans, landed safely, and then delivered her pitch. Three years later, Lee created her own version before a Minnesota Twins game against the Toronto Blue Jays. She flipped from the mound, landed on her feet, and completed the throw to home plate as the Target Field crowd cheered. The pitches were memorable because neither gymnast simply performed a trick and stopped. Both completed the full ceremony, combining the skills that made them Olympic stars with the accuracy needed to reach the catcher.
Worst: 50 Cent Set the Standard for Celebrity First-Pitch Disasters
Rapper 50 Cent produced the pitch against which nearly every celebrity miss is now compared. Before a 2014 game between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates, he approached the mound at Citi Field and began with a delivery that looked reasonably athletic. The ball left his hand with plenty of speed, but almost none of it was directed toward the catcher. His pitch sailed far to the left of home plate and nearly reached the camera well beside the field. The crowd reacted with disbelief before 50 Cent laughed at his own mistake. He later attributed the result to a shoulder problem, but the explanation did little to stop the video from becoming one of the most widely shared first-pitch failures in baseball history.
Best: Bill Murray Ran the Bases Before Taking the Mound
Bill Murray has been a devoted Chicago Cubs fan for decades, so no one expected his ceremonial appearance at Wrigley Field to follow an ordinary script. Before throwing the first pitch, the actor and comedian took off around the bases as though he had just hit the ball into the gap. He rounded the infield, headed toward home, and finished the trip with a dramatic slide across the plate. Only then did Murray walk to the mound and complete the ceremonial throw. The routine worked because it matched both his unpredictable public persona and his genuine love of baseball. Murray has returned to Wrigley for other first pitches, including another appearance alongside Anthony Rizzo and Eddie Vedder in July 2026.
Worst: Carly Rae Jepsen’s Pitch Barely Left Her Hand
Carly Rae Jepsen had already thrown a decent ceremonial pitch for the Baltimore Orioles when she visited the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2013. Unfortunately, her second attempt of the season went in a completely different direction. The “Call Me Maybe” singer stepped forward and appeared to hold the ball a fraction too long. Instead of traveling toward home plate, it came out of her hand almost straight down, struck the turf a few feet in front of her, and rolled weakly toward the first-base side. Jepsen immediately covered her face and laughed while the catcher chased the ball. Her reaction made the moment charming, but the throw itself became an instant addition to compilations of baseball’s worst ceremonial pitches.
Best: Russell Wilson Put His Baseball Experience to Use
Russell Wilson was already known for his powerful football arm when he threw a ceremonial first pitch for the Seattle Mariners in 2013, but his baseball background made the result less surprising. Wilson played college baseball and spent time as a second baseman in the Colorado Rockies’ minor-league system before focusing on football. At Safeco Field, he took the mound and fired a fast, accurate pitch to Mariners ace Félix Hernández. The stadium radar display reportedly showed 98 mph, although the reading was almost certainly generous. Wilson returned for Seattle’s 2014 home opener and missed slightly high, but his earlier strike demonstrated why athletes with real baseball experience usually look much more comfortable on the mound.
Worst: John Wall Nearly Spiked the Ball Straight Into the Ground
Former Washington Wizards star John Wall discovered that elite basketball skills do not automatically translate to the pitcher’s mound. Before a 2011 game between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles, Wall gripped the baseball, lifted his leg, and began his motion with plenty of confidence. His release went wrong almost immediately. The ball struck the dirt well in front of the mound and bounced sharply toward the first-base side, forcing the catcher to scramble after it. Wall smiled through the embarrassment, but the pitch became one of the defining celebrity sports bloopers of the era. The moment was especially surprising because Wall was a professional athlete known for speed, coordination, and passing accuracy on the basketball court.
Best: President George W. Bush Delivered a Strike Under Enormous Pressure
President George W. Bush’s first pitch before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series carried far more significance than the average celebrity appearance. The game at Yankee Stadium took place only weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the country was still grieving. Bush walked onto the field wearing a bulletproof vest beneath his jacket and threw from the actual pitching rubber rather than moving closer to home plate. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter had reportedly warned him that the crowd would react badly if the ball bounced. Bush responded by firing a clean strike to catcher Todd Greene, then calmly gave the crowd a thumbs-up. The combination of accuracy, pressure, and national symbolism made it one of baseball’s most famous ceremonial pitches.
Worst: Mariah Carey’s Pitch Never Came Close to Home Plate
Ceremonial first pitches are not limited to Major League Baseball, as Mariah Carey demonstrated during a 2008 appearance at the Tokyo Dome. The singer took the field before a game between the Yomiuri Giants and Rakuten Eagles while wearing short shorts, large sunglasses, and high-heeled shoes that were not exactly designed for pitching. Carey made a short underhand-style motion, but the ball struck the ground far in front of the catcher and rolled the rest of the way. She smiled and waved to the crowd rather than treating the result seriously. Her outfit and the extremely short throw helped the clip circulate internationally, and it remains one of the most frequently included examples of a ceremonial pitch going wrong.
Best: Mike Tyson Threw a Strike, Then Revisited an Infamous Moment
Mike Tyson brought plenty of power to PNC Park before a 2014 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers. His pitching motion looked slightly awkward, but the former heavyweight champion still fired an accurate strike to Pirates catcher Tony Sanchez. Tyson then made sure the pitch would not be the only part of the ceremony people remembered. While posing with Sanchez afterward, he leaned toward the catcher and pretended to bite his ear, joking about the notorious 1997 boxing match in which he bit Evander Holyfield. Sanchez played along, and the crowd reacted with laughter. The combination of a successful throw and Tyson’s willingness to poke fun at his own history turned the appearance into a memorable performance.
Worst: Miss Texas Rolled the Ball Toward the Plate
Monique Evans, who was crowned Miss Texas in 2014, tried to add a graceful pageant pose to her ceremonial first pitch before a Texas Rangers game against the Los Angeles Angels. Wearing her crown and sash, Evans lifted one leg behind her and held the baseball in front of her as though combining ballet with a pitching windup. The elegant setup did not produce an equally elegant throw. The ball struck the ground almost immediately and rolled slowly toward home plate, leaving the catcher to wait for it rather than catch it. Evans laughed and completed another pose after the miss. Her ability to enjoy the mishap helped make the video playful rather than painful, even if the pitch itself was among the shortest ever attempted.
Best: Jamie Foxx Put the Ball Directly Into the Catcher’s Glove
Jamie Foxx has built a career by moving comfortably between acting, comedy, music, and impersonations, and he looked similarly relaxed when he threw a ceremonial first pitch at a Philadelphia Phillies game. Foxx did receive one advantage, since he delivered the ball from the grass in front of the regulation mound rather than attempting the full 60 feet, 6 inches. Even so, his throw was straight, controlled, and accurate enough that the catcher barely needed to move his glove. That is more than many celebrities manage from an even shorter distance. Foxx walked away smiling after avoiding the bounce or wild miss that has embarrassed so many famous guests, adding baseball to the long list of public performances he handled successfully.
Worst: Michael Jordan Sent the Ball Over Sammy Sosa’s Head
Michael Jordan is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players in history, and unlike most celebrity pitchers, he also had professional baseball experience. Jordan spent the 1994 season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons in the Chicago White Sox organization, although he never reached the major leagues. That background made his ceremonial pitch at a Chicago Cubs game even more surprising. With Sammy Sosa waiting near home plate, Jordan threw the ball hard but far too high and to the right, sending it over Sosa’s head and toward the backstop. Jordan laughed off the mistake, but the pitch became proof that even a world-class athlete with minor-league experience can struggle when the ceremonial spotlight turns on.
Best: Kanye and Saint West Shared the Mound
Kanye West and his young son Saint turned the ceremonial first pitch into a family moment before a 2018 Crosstown Classic game between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs. The Chicago-born musician entered the field while “Homecoming” played over the stadium speakers and carried the 2-year-old Saint toward the mound. Father and son were each given a baseball, allowing them to make their throws together. Saint’s attempt did not travel particularly far, which was understandable given his age, while Kanye completed his own toss toward home plate. The accuracy was less important than the scene of a father sharing the experience with his child, and the crowd responded warmly to one of the ceremony’s more adorable appearances.
Worst: Tiffany Stratton Nearly Reached the Backstop in 2025
WWE star Tiffany Stratton became one of the newest members of the wild first-pitch club when she appeared at Citi Field before a June 2025 game between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. Stratton was a competitive gymnast before beginning her professional wrestling career, so fans had reason to expect an athletic delivery. The ball instead flew over the left-handed batter’s box, bounced once, and struck the area near the backstop. Mets outfielder Jared Young, serving as her ceremonial catcher, had no realistic chance to reach it. Stratton reacted with a mixture of laughter and embarrassment as the video spread online, earning immediate comparisons to 50 Cent’s famous Citi Field miss more than a decade earlier.
Best: Jameis Winston Fired a Strong Pitch in Seattle in 2026
Jameis Winston brought real baseball credentials to T-Mobile Park before a June 2026 game between the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. Before becoming a Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback, Winston was a standout baseball player who pitched and played the outfield at Florida State. He put that experience to use by delivering a strong ceremonial throw to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, another former Seminole. Winston then accepted a microphone and encouraged the crowd to join him in a chant supporting the United States men’s soccer team during the World Cup. The accurate pitch and enthusiastic speech turned the ceremony into a successful crossover between baseball, football, and the international event taking place next door.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©MLB.