Jayson Tatum throws out first pitch at Cardinals game
St. Louis created 'Jayson Tatum Day' in his honor.
After impressing the NBA world with his accuracy from long range during his rookie season, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum recently showed off a different form of marksmanship in his hometown.
Tatum, who grew up in St. Louis, threw out the first pitch at the Cardinals-Reds game Friday night. The sharpshooter, sporting a fitted backward Cardinals hat and a personalized No. 0 jersey, tossed a high-arcing meatball to pitcher Mike Mayers that floated a bit high but never veered left or right.
“It went great,” Tatum said on TV. “It could have been better, but I wasn’t nervous. This has always been a dream of mine, to come out here and throw the first pitch, so I’m glad it was able to happen.”
Jayson Tatum after throwing out tonight’s first pitch: “The mound is a lot farther than I expected.” #STLCards pic.twitter.com/hRcecQeHZF
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) July 14, 2018
His pitch wasn’t quite in the strike zone, but it’s hard to blame a guy who’s 6-foot-8.
“The mound is a lot farther than I expected,” Tatum told FOX Sports Midwest.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlMbGa_FWSS/?hl=en&taken-by=jaytatum0
Tatum said he played baseball as a kid, up until he was about 12 years old. While basketball has always been his true love, he said he enjoys going to baseball games and representing St. Louis any way he can.
Shortly after the first pitch, the MLB Twitter account hit him with a playful jab. Much has been made of Tatum’s old tweet to LeBron James asking James to follow him back, and the MLB account flipped the proposition in the other direction.
Tatum followed through, and those running the account were certainly appreciative.
Mission accomplished. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/MHmiJcaVpM
— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2018
Throwing out the first pitch wasn’t the only highlight for Tatum in his trip home. He also earned a prestigious honor from the city of St. Louis, as it officially dubbed July 14 “Jayson Tatum Day.”
Mayor Lyda Krewson presented him with a proclamation, deeming his $10,000 donation through Gatorade to the Wohl Recreation Center in 2017, his recent free camp at the center, and his accomplishments on the court as exemplary.
The group at the Jayson Tatum Basketball Camp celebrated with Imo’s Pizza. Tatum is on record as saying Imo’s has the best pizza around, and St. Louis is the place for pizza, so it was without question an exciting few days for the Celtics forward.
