The video below is courtesy of the Cal Bears Facebook page.
On Sunday American backstroke star and Olympic hopeful Ryan Murphy threw out the first pitch at the Oakland Athletics game against the Detroit Tigers at O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The Athletics went onto win the game 4-2.
Murphy is coming off an incredible NCAA campaign for the Cal Bears where he was named the CSCAA national swimmer of the year and Pac-12 swimmer of the year for the second straight year. Murphy won both the 100 and 200 backstroke titles at the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive year, and will seek number four next March in his senior year.
Many other swimmers have thrown out the first pitch at an MLB game recently, including Murphy’s coach Dave Durden in 2014 at an Oakland A’s game and three-time Olympic medalist Katie Hoff at a Tampa Bay Rays game around the same time. Freestyle stars Cullen Jones and Conor Dwyer did so in 2015 at the Chicago Cubs game, and even led the seventh inning stretch. Canadian freestyle star and former multi-NCAA champion Brittany Maclean also threw out the first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game in 2014.
Most recently breaststroke phenom Reece Whitley threw out the first pitch at a Phildaelphia Phillies game in April of this year,
Dude is ripped. Has he been paired with Adrian in the weight room?
Come on, why so nervous out there? Hurl it rope tight next time.
Straight down the middle (not really). That’s probably still better than 99% of other swimmers.
Ooh, lefty.
Also, good music, Oakland As: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXyFYNiV-9I
Of course the west would be playing an east coast classic.