In a first, Punjabi singer and entertainer AP Dhillon, who shot to fame with his chart-topping numbers like Brown Munde, Summer High and Fate, threw the official ceremonial first pitch for the Major League Baseball team Canadian team of the Toronto Blue Jays in their American League baseball. game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Roberts Center Stadium in Toronto on Tuesday night.
Dhillon, 29, born in Gurdaspur, who is now based in Canada and performs around the world, wore a blue and white Toronto Blue Jays jersey, two-time Major League Baseball champions, and accompanied the mascot team Ace on the pitch before making the official ceremonial first pitch of the game.
“Don’t bounce it. They will boo you.
Derek Jeter’s interaction with George Bush before he threw out the first World Series pitch was one of the most memorable moments after the events of 9/11. pic.twitter.com/H8Wg7uYxtM
— Talkin Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 11, 2021
“Brown World!! Big thanks to the legend – AP Dhillon – for throwing tonight’s first pitch,” the official Toronto Blue Jays Twitter account tweeted Wednesday morning. Moments later, Dhillon posted on social media platform Instagram congratulating the Canadian MLB and American League team on their 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. “Big win for the Jays tonight. Honored to be a part of it,” Dhillon wrote on his official Instagram account.
Tuesday’s game was the second of the Canadian Major League Baseball team’s 11 games in the space of ten days and the team earned a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bays after losing Game 1 earlier this week against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-4. Alek Manoah starred in the Rays’ win at Roberts Center and the win kept the club ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners in the East Division race for the American League wild card. The Toronto Blue Jays, who have won two World Series titles since their inception in 1976, won the American League East Division title six times and last won a wildcard berth for the League American in 2020. The team also commented on Dhillon’s Instagram post saying “Desi je geet aa, trap ji beat aa, Sirr kadd gakde, speaker’aan ch vajde, Brown Munde. (Our desi songs have catchy beats, we hold our heads up and roar, the speaker plays, Brown Boys.)
‼️Brown World‼️
Big thanks to the legend – AP Dhillon – for throwing tonight’s first pitch! pic.twitter.com/XX65thLPoF
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 14, 2022
He then posted again “Honored to have you here at the ballpark. Hope to see you again soon,” Dhillon later commented, “This one’s for the culture,”
Ritual of the Ceremonial First Pitch
Major League Baseball as well as American League baseball teams outside of the World Series have a ritual of a celebrity or public figure making the ceremonial first pitch before each game and most popular ceremonial pitches were those on MLB’s opening day. as well as the World Series or All Star Games.
The Opening Ceremony first pitch saw the US Presidents throw the first pitch on Opening Day with then US President William H Taft tossing the first ball to Washington Senators Walter Johnson at Griffith Stadium, Washington in April 1910. According to the Bleacher Rapport website, Johnson guided the Senators to a 3-0 victory in the game. “The future Hall of Famer kept the ball, which Taft autographed to him,” Bleacher Report said.
“There’s Wilson!” 😅👋
Actor Tom Hanks brought in “Wilson” to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on the Cleveland Guardians’ opening day! ⚾pic.twitter.com/pTd1zLEEgJ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 16, 2022
According to the website, Taft would throw the ceremonial pitch again on Opening Day in 2011, followed by the next US President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Since then, 15 US Presidents have thrown the first pitch on the Opening Day of the MLB. the last being then-US President Barack Obama in the national park marking the 100th anniversary of Taft’s first launch as US President on Opening Day in 1910.
The ceremonial first pitch in all games, whether MLB, American League, World Series or All Star game, sees the guest standing in front of the pitcher’s mound or on the mound into the baseball arena and throw towards home plate with the recipient being one of the opposing players.
According to Bleacher Report, U.S. presidents have thrown the first pitch in seven World Series and four times in All-Star Games with then-U.S. President George W Bush wearing a firefighter jacket and throwing the first pitch at the Yankees Stadium during the World Series. third match, a few days after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Among the non-political ceremonial pitchers, the most famous was that of former Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki in April earlier this year at T-mobile Park in Seattle. The 48-year-old dressed in his Seattle Mariners game jersey and kicked the first ball with a 93 mph fastball. Although Suzuki missed the target area, the fastball was much faster than all celebrities as well as American presidents in baseball history to throw the first pitch in baseball games around the world.
Earlier this year, two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks was called in to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for hometown team Cleveland Guardians against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field in a season opener. Hanks brought the volleyball prop from his film Cast Away with him to make the first pitch and made the pitch with the fastball caught by Lary Doby Jr., son of Lawrence Eugene Dobby, the Major’s second black player League Baseball and first black player. in American League baseball.
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