Countdown to Opening Day!
Presidential First Pitches, Part II: LBJ to Obama
Last week we took a hard-throwing look at presidential first pitches beginning with William Howard Taft (1910) and ending with JFK (1963). The Washington Senators were beneficiaries of those POTUS pitches and had a 25-17 record when the Chief Executive threw out the first ball. We’ll look this week at how our modern presidents have done from the stands, and beginning with Reagan, from the mound.
Note: After 1969 the Washington Senators moved to Texas to become the Rangers. No teams played in DC until 2005. All home teams will be listed second.
Johnson, Throws: Right, Career: 0-3
1964 - Angels 9, Senators 0 - Opening day 1-hitter by the Angels’ Ken McBride and Julio Navarro
1965 - Red Sox 7, Senators 2
1967 - Indians 5, Senators 2
Nixon, Throws: Right, Career: 1-1
1969 - Yankees 8, Senators 4 - Last presidential first pitch in DC for nearly forty years
1973 - KC Athletics 2, California Angels 3 - Nixon, a California native, throws out the first West Coast POTUS pitch. Nolan Ryan strikes out 12 A’s.
Nixon resigned in the summer of 1974 due to Watergate
Ford, Throws: Right, Career: 1-0
1976 - Twins 1, Rangers 2 - Game features Gaylord Perry versus Bert Blyleven
Carter, Throws: Right, Career: n/a
Carter never threw out a first pitch during a regular season game. He did throw out the first pitch for game 7 of the 1979 World Series but we’ll look at that next week. (I do believe Reagan could have also won the 1980 election with the slogan: “Carter never threw out a pitch on Opening Day.”)
Reagan, Throws: Right, Career: 1-2
1984 - White Sox 5, Orioles 2
1985 - Indians 5, Orioles 4
1988 - Pirates 0, Cubs 6 - Reagan, who did Cubs play-by-play in the 1930s, throws out the first Opening Day POTUS pitch in the National League.
Bush I, Throws: Left, Career: 3-1
1989 - Red Sox 4, Orioles 5
1990 - Rangers 1, Blue Jays 2 - The first POTUS pitch thrown outside the U.S.
1991 - Brewers 4, Rangers 5 - President Bush had a good relationship with one of the Rangers’ owners…George W. Bush
1992 - Indians 0, Orioles 2 - The first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Note: George H.W. Bush played first base while at Yale, which explains his awesome mitt in the photoset.
Clinton, Throws: Left, Career: 2-3
1993 - Rangers 4, Orioles 7
1994 - Mariners 3, Indians 4 - The first game at Jacobs’ Field (aka Progressive Field)
1996 - Royals 4, Orioles 2
1997 - Giants 5, Mets 1; Giants 7, Mets 2 - 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier
2000 - Dodgers 6, Giants 5
Bush II, Throws: Right, Career: 4-1
2001 - Reds 4, Brewers 5 - The first game at Miller Park
2004 - Brewers 8, Cardinals 6
2005 - Diamondbacks 5, Nationals 3 - The first game in Washington, DC in 36 years
2006 - Cubs 16, Reds 7
2008 - Braves 3, Nationals 2
Obama, Throws: Left, Career: 0-1
2010 - Phillies 11, Nationals 1
POTUS Record 1964-2011: 11-12
POTUS Record 1910-1963: 25-17
POTUS Record 1910-2011: 36-29
With a .554 winning percentage, which equals 90 wins over a full season, it’s clear that it generally benefits a team to have the Commander-in-Chief throwing out that first pitch. Although your best bet is to score Woodrow Wilson (4-0) or George W. Bush (4-1).
List of presidential first pitches courtesy of baseball.about.com. Scores and boxscores available from the amazing www.retrosheet.org.
Next week: The POTUS in the Playoffs
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Presidential First Pitches, Part I: Taft - JFK
On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft threw out the first pitch at Boundary Field as the Washington Senators faced off against eventual World Series champs, the Philadelphia Athletics. Walter Johnson outdueled the pride of Gettysburg College, Eddie Plank, 3-0. Thus began a somewhat erratic tradition of the President of the United States opening the major league baseball season. So how did things turn out? This week we look at the first 9 POTUSes and their roles as harbingers of luck - good or bad.
Note: From 1910 through 1963 all the games involved the Washington Senators: “First in War, First in Peace and Last in the American League.”
Taft, Throws: Right, Career: 2-0
1910 - W, 3-0 vs. Philadelphia
1911 - W, 8-5 vs. Boston
Wilson, Throws: Right, Career: 3-0
1913 - W, 2-1 vs. NY
1914 - No pitch
1915 - W, 7-0 vs. NY
1916 - W, 12-4 vs. NY
Because of WWI and a subsequent stroke Wilson doesn’t throw out anymore pitches.
Harding, Throws: Right, Career: 2-1
1921 - L, 3-6 vs. Boston - the game took 2 hours
1922 - W, 6-5 vs. NY
1923 - W, 2-1 vs. Phil.
Harding died in office in 1923
Coolidge, Throws: Right, Career: 3-1
1924 - W, 4-0 vs. Phil. - Senators win their only World Series that year
1925 - W, 10-1 vs. NY - Lou Gehrig plays RF for the Yankees
1926 - No pitch
1927 - W, 6-2 vs. Phil.
1928 - L, 5-7 vs, Boston
Hoover, Throws: Right, Career: 1-3
1929 - L, 4-13 vs. Phil.
1930 - L, 3-4 vs. Boston
1931 - L, 3-5 (11 inn.) vs. Phil. - Future HOFer Lefty Grove pitches 9th-11th for the win
1932 - W, 1-0 vs. Boston
Roosevelt, Throws: Right, Career: 5-3
1933 - W, 4-1 vs. Phil.
1934 - W, 6-5 (11) vs. Boston
1935 - W, 4-2 vs. Phil. - Future HOFer Jimmie Foxx plays catcher; caught 109 games in his career
1936 - W, 1-0 vs. NY
1937 - L, 3-4 vs. Phil.
1938 - W, 12-8 vs. Phil. - Brothers Rick Ferrell and Wes Ferrell (HOF) are the battery for the Senators
1939 - No pitch for FDR. Couldn’t find out why.
1940 - L, 0-1 vs. Boston
1941 - L, 0-3 vs. NY
The outbreak of WWII in 1941 and FDR’s death in 1945 end his service on Opening Day.
Truman, Throws: Left, Career: 3-4
1946 - L, 3-6 vs. Boston
1947 - L, 3-9 vs. Boston
1948 - L, 4-12 vs. NY
1949 - W, 3-2 vs. Phil.
1950 - W, 8-7 vs. Phil.
1951 - W, 5-3/W, 8-4 vs. NY - Doubleheader
1952 - L, 0-3 vs. Boston
Eisenhower, Throws: Right, Career: 5-3
1953 - L, 3-6 vs. NY
1954 - W, 5-3 (10) vs. NY
1955 - W, 12-5 vs. Baltimore - 1st time the Senators play a team that’s not NY, Boston or Philly. The Orioles had moved from St. Louis before the 1954 season.
1956 - L, 4-10 vs. NY
1957 - L, 6-7 vs. Balt.
1958 - W, 5-2 vs. Boston
1959 - W, 9-2 vs. Balt.
1960 - W, 10-1 vs. Boston - Senators pitcher Camilo Pascual strikes out 15. Gives up one run - a home run to Ted Williams in his last Opening Day.
Kennedy, Throws: Right, Career: 1-2
1961 - L, 3-4 vs. Chicago - First time facing a team from the Central time zone on Opening Day. This is also the 2nd Washington Senators franchise. The original moved to Minnesota during the offseason to become the Twins.
1962 - W, 4-1 vs. Detroit
1963 - L, 1-3 vs. Baltimore
JFK was assassinated in November 1963.
POTUS record 1910-1963: 25-17
Next week: LBJ - Obama
List of presidential first pitches courtesy of baseball.about.com. Scores and boxscores available from the amazing www.retrosheet.org.
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