Here’s a little bit of trivia for you baseball fans out there: Who is the youngest woman to ever throw batting practice before a Major League Baseball game?
Whatever the answer was, it changed on Monday afternoon. It’s now Durant High School relief pitcher Chelsea Baker, Plant City’s resident Knuckleball Princess, who also threw out the first pitch right before the Tampa Bay Rays played the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It was nice to be able to go to Tropicana Field on a good day, which has been something of a rarity for the Rays lately. The last time I went to a game, the mood there was somber — the team had just ended a two-week losing skid with a win over Seattle, but the legendary Don Zimmer had just died and the team dedicated that entire pre-game ceremony in his memory. A few hours later, the Rays blew an attempt to rally from a deficit and snapped their new win streak at one game.
On Monday, though, things were looking up. The Rays were coming off of a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday, giving them their second series win over the ‘Stros in two weeks. The ‘Buccos had barely survived their series against the Chicago Cubs, so there was some confidence in the air. Maybe this would be the series where the Rays finally got their groove back? Spirits were higher than they have been.
Baker and her parents — who donned customized jerseys made for the occasion — had a ball out there. Her stepfather’s Hulk Hogan-like presence drew the attention of the cameras and microphones, and he was happy to tell ESPN and Fox 13 all about his stepdaughter. Her mother darted back and forth between the two, snapping as many photos as she could. She even had Baker pose for photos with some of the media members. But, hey — it’s a mom thing.
As relaxed as the atmosphere was, with the Rays keeping loose and the media’s questions all familiar, Baker was still a little nervous about possibly throwing the ball all over the place in front of her favorite players. And, the ESPN crew having her run so many wired microphones through her jersey made her a little uncomfortable.
What’s it like, earning a place in baseball history?
“I’m kind of nervous and stuff, because this is so big for me,” Baker said. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but I’m really excited. So, it should be fun.”
She first played catch with catcher Jose Molina and eventually calmed down. He was also the first player to bat and did end up whiffing a few times.
Out of nowhere comes star third baseman Evan Longoria, who must not have gotten the memo.
“I didn’t know we were going to be hitting knuckleballs,” he said aloud as Baker pitched to Molina. “I thought it was just normal BP.”
Of course, with Longo came ESPN’s attention. Everyone with a media pass swarmed to the plate and, right as Baker was about to throw her first pitch, a cameraman yelled, “You’re about to go live on SportsCenter!”
A friend of mine who was watching SportsCenter said they showed the first few pitches, but not the one where Baker accidentally hit Longo. That one drew quite a few laughs in the third baseman’s direction.
And then came staff ace David Price, who was excited for the pitchers’ duel. He actually fared better than Molina and Longo, taking two of Baker’s pitches all the way out to the warning track in center. But, he still whiffed badly on several of Baker’s knuckleballs.
“I’m impressed,” he told some players after his at-bat.
Chelsea then left the mound to do an interview with the media, which also aired on SportsCenter.
“This is beyond anything I ever imagined,” she said. “It was a great opportunity. It was so unexpected — (Joe Maddon) surprised me with everything, the first pitch and all of that. I feel very honored that he was able to get me out here.”
After a couple of questions about her career, one reporter asked, “What’s the one pitch you’re going to remember most out of all this?”
“Definitely the one where I hit Evan,” she said. “Definitely not going to forget that, ever.”
And, that was when my buddy believed what I told him earlier about Longo getting tagged. Longo, ever the professional, just smiled about it and told her it was cool to have her out there.
