William Howard Taft fires first pitch
On April 14, 1910 – 1910: A baseball tradition is born in Washington, D.C. Before a capacity crowd of some 14,000, William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, inaugurates the season by throwing out the first ball — to Walter Johnson –before the Senators’ game against the Philadelphia Athletics.
The act begins a rite of spring as many of Taft’s successors — both righties and lefties — follow his lead.
Washington wins the game 3-0, with Johnson showing his arm is much stronger than the president’s. Not being able to control his curve, he relies on his blazing fastball and holds the Athletics to one hit, a tainted double by Frank Chance.
The overflow crowd works against Johnson. The only hit comes when Doc Gessler stumbles over a boy who is trying to get out of the way in right-field. That night, a crest-fallen Gessler tells Johnson, “Walter, I’m awfully sorry I couldn’t get that fly, for I wanted you to put them down without a hit.”
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