Presidential First Pitches
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1. William Howard Taft
AP PhotoPresident William Howard Taft throws out the first ball on Opening Day to start the season for the Washington Senators in 1912. -
2. Woodrow Wilson
AP PhotoPresident Woodrow Wilson throws out the first ball at a Washington Senators game in 1916. -
3. President Warren G Harding
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesPresident Warren G Harding throws out the first ball of the baseball season in Washington on April 12, 1922. -
4. Calvin Coolidge
Rogers Photo Archive/Getty ImagesPresident Calvin Coolidge throws out the first ball on Opening Day for the Washington Senators on April 24, 1928. -
5. Herbert Hoover
Rogers Photo Archive/Getty ImagesPresident Herbert Hoover takes aim before throwing a baseball sometime in the early 1930s. -
6. Franklin D Roosevelt
Rogers Photo Archive/Getty ImagesNew York Gov. Franklin D Roosevelt throws out the first pitch before Game 3 of the 1932 World Series (famous for Babe Ruth's called shot) between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field a month before he was elected president. -
7. Harry S. Truman
George Skadding//Time Life Pictures/Getty ImagesHarry S. Truman was the first left-handed president to throw out the first pitch to open a baseball game. -
8. Dwight Eisenhower
Rogers Photo Archive/Getty ImagesPresident Dwight Eisenhower throws out the first pitch of the 1955 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on Sept. 28. Flanking him are Yankees manager Casey Stengel and Dodgers manager Walter Alston. -
9. John F. Kennedy
AP PhotoPresident John F. Kennedy winds up to throw out the first pitch to inaugurate the 1962 American League season and D.C. Stadium in Washington on April 9, 1962. D.C. Stadium later became known as RFK Stadium, named after Kennedy's brother Robert. -
10. Lyndon Johnson
AP PhotoPresident Lyndon Johnson throws out the first pitch to open the American League season on April 13, 1964, before the Los Angeles Angels played the Washington Senators at D.C. Stadium. -
11. Richard Nixon
Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty ImagesPresident Richard Nixon throws out the first pitch at the 1970 All-Star Game (the first Midsummer Classic played at night) on July 14 at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. Mets manager Gil Hodges is at right, just below baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. -
12. Gerald Ford
MLB Photos/Getty ImagesPresident Gerald Ford throws out the first pitch before the 1976 All-Star Game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. -
13. Jimmy Carter
AP Photo/Ric FeldTwo years after leaving office, former president Jimmy Carter throws out the first pitch April 8, 1983, before the Atlanta Braves opened the season against the Padres at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. -
14. Ronald Reagan
AP Photo/Charles TasnadiPresident Ronald Reagan throws out the ceremonial first pitch Sept. 30, 1988, at Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs played host to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reagan later went to the broadcast booth and helped announce the first part of the game. -
15. George H. Bush
AP Photo/George WidmanPresident George H.W. Bush throws out the first pitch April 3, 1989, to mark the start of the baseball season at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium before the Orioles faced the Boston Red Sox. -
16. Bill Clinton
Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Bill Clinton throws out the first pitch April 5, 1993, at Camden Yards before the Baltimore Orioles opened the season against the Texas Rangers. -
17. George W. Bush
Rich Pilling/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesPresident George W. Bush responds to the Yankee Stadium crowd Oct. 30, 2001, as he prepared to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees. -
18. Barack Obama
AP Photo/Ann HeisenfeltBarack Obama was a senator Oct. 12, 2005, when he threw out the first pitch before Game 2 of the ALCS between the White Sox and the Angels at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. President Obama is scheduled to do the same before the 2009 All-Star Game.
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