The First Pitches of Hip-Hop

8.9.21

Lil Durk throwing the first pitch at Chicago Cubs

The first pitch in baseball is a pitch prior to any game play, given to a celebrity or professional outside of the current match up, to pay honor to their legacy at the stadium. These could be retired athletes, service heroes, or someone of another profession. Over the weekend, Lil Durk had the honors of throwing the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game, and surely left an impression on the field.

Lil Durk is from Chicago, and while it is unlikely anyone will ever dethrone Kanye West from the biggest hip-hop artist to be from Chicago, Durk is on the top of his game right now. He has seen some tragic loss of lives to his loved ones lately, and it is nice to see his city recognized him for being a good voice of the city. Durk brought he two kids on the mound with him as he’d through out the first pitch, wearing white jeans and an opened Cubs jersey.

As Durk walked on the field, you could hear some surprised reactions in the crowd. However, this was nothing compared to the boos and laughs after he had made his throw. This throw was so far off the target, it went way left and straight to the ground. The mascot, whom was catching for Durk, had to run to chase after the ball.

The throw was comical in deed, and further proves how difficult throwing a baseball can be, let alone pitching for accuracy. But what is more fun than how to throw a baseball, is the number of people whom have completely failed their first pitch attempts.

Michael Jordan also once threw the first pitch for a Cubs game, where he pitched the ball way over the head of the catch. Carly Rae Jepsen, John Wall and many others have thrown their pitches right into the ground. Barack Obama threw a complete lob in the air, but no one, could have been as bad as 50 Cent.

50 Cent’s first pitch was seen around the world, though taking place at a simple New York Mets game. The ball went so far and outside to the right of the catcher, there is no way you cannot laugh watching the attempt. It is likely that the ball just slipped out of 50’s hand prior to being ready for a proper release, however he will never be able to live this one down.

Do the entertainers deserve the harsh criticism? Or is it all fun and games?! I feel like not everyone would be able to throw a perfect pitch, but I think they should be able to do just a little better.