Throwing a ceremonial first pitch in an MLB game may look easy on the outside, but the case isn’t so for those with zero experience in the sport of baseball. Throughout the years, there have been many first pitches that can be described as visually unappealing. From throws that don’t even reach halfway to some that go way out of line, a botched first pitch can make one trend on the internet for the wrong reasons. That’s exactly what PGA Tour Golfer Sahith Theegala is planning to avoid.
Theegala was recently given the honor of throwing the first pitch for Saturday’s Houston Astros game in Minute Maid Park. The team will be playing the third game of their four-game series against the New York Yankees. So for Theegala, kicking off the action for two storied teams brings along plenty of jitters.
“I’m gonna be nervous,” Theegala said, per CBS Sports’ Patrick McDonald. “My caddie (Carl Smith) bought a couple of mitts and a ball last night at Dick’s. So, we’re gonna go to my gym at home and get some shots up and loosen my shoulder with some basketball ’cause I’ve played basketball my whole life and then get some tosses in. I can’t go into that without prepping.”
Regardless, the pro golfer plans to make sure that the ball doesn’t hit the ground.
“…55 or 60 feet. I’m gonna cheat all the way to the front of the mound. It’s a long way. If anything I’m gonna sail it. I will not put it in the dirt. I hope I can keep that promise,” he added.
When asked if he had any experience in tossing baseballs, Theegala admitted that he doesn’t have any.
“Zero,” the 26-year-old said, pertaining to his experience. “It’s the only sport I have genuinely not tried or played at all in my whole life. Luckily, I feel like I’ve got long arms, so I feel like I can at least throw with some power. But my accuracy’s gonna be very suspicious. We’ll see if my very average athletic ability can pull through for me one time. But no experience. I’ve played catch like three times in college. Just soft tossing a baseball. I’ve tried hitting a baseball a few times off a tee…not good.”
Sahith Theegala’s golf resume so far
Unlike many other first-pitchers, Theegala’s commitment to a multi-sport preparation routine for that one throw shows how serious he is. Maybe it has something to do with being an athlete and striving for a respectable showing when entering the realm of a new sport. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to go viral on X (Twitter) or YouTube. Whatever the result on Saturday may be, it won’t take away what he’s done on the golf course.
A three-time NCAA All-American, Sahith Theegala won the Haskins Award, the Ben Hogan Award and the Jack Nicklaus Award all in 2020. He turned professional that same year, making his debut in the Outlaw Tour.
Since then, Theegala has appeared in major championships such as The Masters, The Open and The PGA Championship. During the 2023 Masters Tournament, in particular, the California native finished in ninth place, marking his first top-10 finish in a major championship.
He garnered his first PGA Tour victory at the Fortinet Championship in September of 2023. As per the Official World Golf Ranking website, Theegala is currently the 15th-ranked player in the world.
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