S.I. Yankees: First Pitch

On Saturday, August 11th, I was asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a S.I. Yankees Game. It was coordinated for me by Terry Tarangelo, who is both a member of the South Shore Rotary and on the Miss New York Board. When I was asked, I was excited, but definitely nervous, as well. I had never done anything like that - especially not in front of a huge crowd!

When I arrived I was brought down by the field and told how things were going to run. I met the mascots and the the S.I. Yankee crew. Cardinal Dolan was also in the stadium. He was throwing out another "first pitch" right after me. I had the opportunity to talk with him - what a funny man!

I started to feel my nerves. All I hoped for was to make it to the plate. They announced me and I walked onto the field. After a few deeps breaths I let the ball fly from my hand and....

I reached the plate!

Okay, so it hit the ground once it got to the plate, but I still made it there! Feeling proud of myself, and a little shaky, I got my first pitch baseball signed by the catcher, Evan DeLuca #26 (who is typically the team's pitcher).

Just when I thought it was time to relax, I was told of another appearance I would be making on the field. Though I am a "performer" I still get very nervous improvising in front of crowd, so when I heard about the skit I would be doing, I was a little scared. My nerves were quickly calmed, though, after the 4th inning when I met my skit partners: Red (one of the mascots) and a little boy named Mikey. I had a lot of fun performing with the two of them and I think crowd enjoyed it, as well!

Of course, the night wouldn’t have been complete without a little bit of drama. We discovered that our car had broken down and we were unable to drive anywhere after the game! It took a while to get home that night, but with some help from Doreen (my boyfriend’s mom) and the “tow truck man,” we finally made it. Thank you both for all of your help.

The game was an experience I will never forget and something I'm honored to have been asked to do. Thank you so much to the S.I. Yankees for having me, and to the Miss NY Organization for thinking of me.