Please do not attempt this flipping first pitch by Nastia Liukin at home
There are many different ways to approach a ceremonial first pitch. You could follow most people and throw from in front of the pitcher's mound. The more daring go right up on that pitching rubber and do their best
Nastia Liukin knows to stick to her strengths. She's a five-time Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, so why not find a way to incorporate that into the delivery?
For her first pitch at the Cardinals' game on Tuesday against the Brewers, she did exactly that:
🤸♀️ @NastiaLiukin's first pitch routine scored a perfect 🔟@USAGym pic.twitter.com/hhb47xPsbz
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 23, 2019
That is incredible. But we cannot emphasize this enough -- do not try this at home. Unless you're properly trained, it is almost guaranteed to end poorly, and if anyone happens to be filming, you will end up in an embarrassing video online.
It's not Liukin's first trip to this rodeo, either. She has pulled off the trick before for various other teams, like the Cubs ...
... and the Angels.
Definitely best to leave this to the pros.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
