Katie Ledecky Throws Out First Pitch At Nationals Park, As Washington Falls 10-8 To Orioles

Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky threw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday night at Nationals Park in Washington’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Katie Ledecky Throws Out First Pitch At Nationals Park, As Washington Falls 10-8 To Orioles

The 19-year-old Team USA star, who won four gold medals and one silver at the Rio 2016 Games, took all five medals off and handed them to Bryce Harper before throwing the first pitch from just in front of the mound. As the reigning National League MVP gazed at the medals, Ledekcy, a Bethesda, Maryland native, tossed the baseball to Nationals reliever Shawn Kelley. 

“I’ve swum in front of 14,000 people,” Ledecky said of the pitch. “Once the ball leaves the hand, you can’t really control it.”

This was not the first time Ledecky– who was born in D.C– had thrown out the first pitch at Nationals Park. However, this time her throw came after a video tribute to the local Olympic star, which included a clip of her world record-smashing victory in the 800-meter freestyle.

The swimmer met several Nationals before the game, including Harper, whom she said is one of her favorites. Although they didn’t give her any tips on the first toss, which she said she practiced Tuesday, they were curious about her five medals.

“They all wanted to see how heavy they were and things like that,” Ledecky said. “They are pretty heavy. It was kind of a different feeling for me to have them be a fan of me when I’ve been a huge fan of theirs for a couple years.”

Ledecky will start at Stanford University in the fall and plans to take some time off before starting school. Furthermore, the young athlete’s mind already seems to be on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“It’ll probably be the longest break I’ll take in the next four years,” she said. “It’s just nice to be out of the water a little bit and get recharged for the next four years.”

The Orioles won the game 10-8, with Manny Machado and Matt Wieters leading the scoring for Baltimore. Both players drove in four runs in support of left-handed starter Wade Miley, who was acquired by the Orioles last month and earned his first victory with Baltimore with five-plus innings of two-run ball.

The win was Orioles’ third straight over the Nationals and came just hours after the team put ace Chris Tillman on the disabled list.

“Right now, this time of the year, it may be important for us because we’re thin … right now, and we need all of our healthy pitchers to do what they’re capable of doing,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “There’s not much margin for error as we go forward here with 30-some games left.”

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 24: Katie Ledecky hands her Olympic medals to Bryce Harper #34 before throwing out the opening pitch before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 24, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)