Julie Johnston and two fellow USWNT stars threw out the first pitch at U.S. Cellular Field

It's been quite the summer for Chicago's USWNT stars. On the heels of their World Cup victory, defender Julie Johnston, midfielder Lori Chalupny and forward Christen Press returned to their NWSL club team, the Chicago Red Stars, and helped them clinch their first playoff appearance in the three-year history of the league. 

Oh yeah, and when taking a break from scoring eight goals in nine games for the Red Stars, Press recorded a hat-trick in an international friendly against Costa Rica. 

The trio got to add another moment to their memorable run, receiving a warm welcome before the White Sox took on the Red Sox on Tuesday night. Naturally, it was the striker, Press, who got the right to toss out the first pitch, though we didn't get to see the surely sparkling build-up play that led to her pitch: 

Chicago and their grounds crew can take plenty of pride in their field maintenance, too. After the three took the field (or pitch as she called it), Johnston said, "As an athlete who plays on grass fields, the pitch is just unbelievable, the grass is so perfect. So, of course that's the first thing that we talk about when we walk out and see the field."