Getty Anthony Davis speaks as he is introduced as the newest player of the Los Angeles Lakers.
While the Lakers made a huge splash this offseason and look poised for a return to the playoffs, the Dodgers have been dominating the LA sports scene with back to back World Series appearances. Holding the best record in baseball as the season heads down the final stretch, the Dodgers once again look like the team to beat in the National League.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis Challenged by Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen
California Love.
@Lakers, we’re ready for Lakers Night. But first, @kenleyjansen74 has a message for @AntDavis23.
Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen decided to issue new Angeleno Anthony Davis a challenge. Recognizing his dominance on the basketball court, Jansen asked Davis to show off what he could do on the diamond by coming down to “Lakers Night” at Dodger Stadium on August 20th to throw out the first pitch.
@kenleyjansen74 @Dodgers @Lakers You already know! I’m throwing heat!!
Davis happily accepted Jansen’s challenge on social media and one-upped Jansen by saying that not only would he throw out the first pitch but that he would come out throwing some gas! While we’ve seen baseball make even the world’s best athletes look mediocre (to say the least), Davis’ athleticism is otherworldly and coupled with his massive frame you have the recipe for a flamethrower.
Given some of the embarrassing first pitches we’ve seen over the years, Davis would be smart to get a light bullpen session or two in before stepping out in front of the crowd.
Worst Athlete First Pitches in MLB History
Michael Jordan’s Airmail
Jordan famously took some time away from basketball to play minor league baseball – something that didn’t seem to help him all that much on that fateful day in 1998. By this time, Jordan was well ingrained back into the NBA fold and hadn’t spent time on a baseball field in nearly four years. That rust showed as the GOAT badly airmailed his first pitch, sending it all the way to the backstop.
John Wall Throws Bounce Pass at Nationals Game
Another basketball player clocks in on the list of All-Time bad first pitches. John Wall is an excellent point guard and one of the league’s premier passers (when healthy) yet even he couldn’t find a way to come up with a competent first pitch. To Wall’s credit, his one-hopper to the plate seemed to have some gas and the arm strength seems to definitely be there.
Jermichael Finley Spikes First Picth
While he may have had some productive seasons as a pass-catcher in the NFL, Tight End Jermichael Finley doesn’t seem to be cut out for a career on the diamond. Finley came out trying to throw gas from the rubber and wound up spiking the ball a good 10 feet in front of the plate. As you can see, a common denominator among these first pitches is the athlete deciding to toe the rubber and throw off the hill.
50 Cent Misses JUST a Bit Outside
While 50 Cent isn’t an athlete by any means (obviously), his first pitch goes down as one of the best ever and deserves a spot on any list. 50 went up to the mound brimming with confidence and hit the fans with an aggressive leg kick from the rubber before missing the plate by about 15 feet. It wasn’t as if he was lacking the arm strength to get the ball over the plate, he just simply missed his mark by an outlandish margin.