Katie Ledecky is often vocal about her Washington, D.C. sports super-fandom, and D.C. sports have supported her back.
Wednesday night, for the second year running, Ledecky participated in pre-game festivities at a Washington Nationals baseball game. While last year she “just” threw out the first pitch, this year, the Nationals hosted a full-fledged “swim night,” where fans who purchased a special ticket received a Nationals swim cap and could participate in a meet-and-greet with Ledecky.
Last year, Ledecky unloaded her medals on superstar Bryce Harper before throwing the first pitch, and this year, she took the mound with NCAP’s 13-year-old Erin Gemmell, fresh off a breakout Junior Nationals performance (she is also the daughter of Ledecky’s former coach Bruce Gemmell).
Note: the Nationals accidentally double-booked Ledecky with radio personality Chad Dukes, hence the photo caption.
I heard @chaddukes was throwing out the first pitch with Katie Ledecky tonight at the Nats game. Chad I never knew you were a lefty 😂 pic.twitter.com/JMZ4sxrFXF
— Sam Rhem (@srhem) August 23, 2018
Here are some highlights from the rest of the pre-game fun:
Fun meeting all the swimmers at @Nationals Swim Night and seeing some familiar faces! We've got a great game going right now- let's get the Curly W! pic.twitter.com/mC9BFpQJz9
— Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) August 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/mahonytribe/status/1032445100004175872
Beautiful night for a ballgame – ✅ Nats swim cap – ✅ meet their hero @katieledecky – ✅ pic.twitter.com/A1KlMdKRYv
— Bryan C Harris (@_BCHarris_) August 22, 2018
Great night meeting @katieledecky tonight at the Nats game! 💦⚾️ pic.twitter.com/nNTKxPCYa5
— C. Stottlemyer (@Stottle15) August 23, 2018
And while the Nationals have struggled mightily as of late, Ledecky may have been their good luck charm. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman won the game with a walk-off 2-run home run.
Swim night ends with Ryan Zimmerman going for a swim!!! #WalkoffHR @Nationals
— Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) August 23, 2018
That’s our hometown girl, spreading smiles! Thanks, Katie!