It was on April 14, 1910, that William Taft became the first ever President of the US to throw out the first pitch of a Major League game. The 300 pounder tossed the pitch to legendary pitcher Walter Johnson, and thus started a rich American tradition. Good trivia question: since Taft, every single president has thrown out at least one first pitch, except for one. Who was the only President who never threw out a first pitch? A: Jimmy Carter.
Anyways, not a major local angle on this story but there is one. The Senators were playing the Philadelphia A’s the day that Taft made history. And according to the baseball almanac:
The Presidential party stayed for the whole game even after a line drive foul ball, off the bat of A’s Frank “Home Run” Baker, shot into the Presidential Box and bounced off the Secretary of State’s head. Silence filled the park. Secretary Bennett waved to the crowd and the game continued.
