How many consecutive U.S. Presidents have thrown out a first pitch?

By
Rex Rose
How many consecutive U.S. Presidents have thrown out a first pitch?

Will the streak continue?


The act of a U.S. President throwing out the first pitch is a tradition that is 110 years old. Current president Donald Trump has never thrown out the first pitch on Opening Day or before another game. But this could change if he takes up New York Yankees president Randy Levine’s offer to throw a ceremonial first pitch August 15 at Yankee Stadium. If he does, Trump would keep the consecutive streak alive, joining these 18 commanders-in-chief since William Howard Taft…



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1. William Howard Taft


Taft got the ball rolling on April 14, 1910 when he threw a pitch to Washington Senators Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson before a game with the Philadelphia A’s. He also threw a first pitcher before Opening Day in 1911.



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2. Woodrow Wilson


Wilson threw out a first pitch four times during his two-term presidency and became the first U.S. president to attend a World Series game when he did so in 1915.



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3. Warren Harding


Harding once threw out Opening Day pitches in both New York and Washington in 1923.



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4. Calvin Coolidge


Coolidge’s form looks pretty weak, but he did throw out six first pitches during his presidency, including one each at both the 1924 and 1925 World Series, which featured the Washington Senators.



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5. Herbert Hoover


If Trump was worried about getting booed, it wouldn’t have been without precedent. Hoover threw out six first pitches and was booed by thirsty fans who were upset about Prohibition.



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6. Franklin Delano Roosevelt


Having polio didn’t stop FDR from throwing out 11 first pitches. Of course, it helped that he had 12 years to get that record.



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7. Harry Truman


Fun fact: Truman was ambidextrous and threw out two first pitches — one with each arm — before the Opening Day in 1950.



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8. Dwight Eisenhower


Golf was Ike’s true love, but he found time to throw out seven first pitches during his two-term presidency.



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9. John F. Kennedy


JFK’s arm still looked in great shape when he threw out the first pitch before Opening Day in 1961. He threw out a total of three during his short presidency.



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10. Lyndon Baines Johnson


LBJ threw out three first pitches and all came in Washington. He did attend an exhibition game at the Astrodome, but did not throw.



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11. Richard Nixon


Nixon may have been the most avid sports fan to ever hold the office. He threw out three first pitches during his presidency.



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12. Gerald Ford


Ford was a former college football player. He also threw out pitches with both arms at the 1976 All-Star Game.



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13. Jimmy Carter


Carter only threw out one first pitch during his presidency and it came before Game 7 of the 1979 World Series. He’s always been very visible at Braves games during his post-presidency though and threw out a first pitch before the 1992 World Series.



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14. Ronald Reagan


Ronald Reagan used to give accounts of Chicago Cubs games off the telegraph during his early days as a radio broadcaster. He later threw out a first pitch at Wrigley Field during 1988.



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15. George H.W. Bush


As the former captain of the 1948 Yale baseball team, the elder Bush knew his way around a baseball diamond. He’s the only president to throw out an Opening Day pitch in another country, having performed the duty in Toronto in 1990.



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16. Bill Clinton


The Nationals hadn’t yet moved to Washington during Clinton’s presidency so he had to travel to Baltimore in 1993 to throw out a first pitch. He also threw at Jacobs Field, Shea Stadium and Pac Bell Park during his presidency.



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17. George W. Bush


Bush’s first pitch before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series at Yankee Stadium is the most famous presidential first pitch of them all. He threw out a total of six first pitches, including one for the Nationals in 2005 as baseball returned to the nation’s capital.



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18. Barack Obama


More of a basketball fan, Obama still threw out two first pitches during his presidency and repped his hometown while doing so.



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19/19 SLIDES

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