Deni Avdija throws first pitch at Nats-Dodgers game originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Before the Nationals and Dodgers began their series in a battle of baseball's two most recent champions, Wizards forward Deni Avdija had the distinct honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Avdija grew up in Israel where baseball isn't a major sport, so it was a mystery how it would go.
But Avdija handled himself well by throwing a pitch over the plate to Nationals pitcher Joe Ross. It may not have been a strike, but it wasn't bad at all considering how some first pitches have gone in the past. Just ask former Wizards star John Wall.
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Here's a look at Avdija's pitch:
Okay, maybe it was a little high, like he was lobbing an alley-oop pass to Daniel Gafford. Let's see another angle:
As you saw in the video, Avdija was wearing a custom Nationals jersey. Before the pitch, he addressed Wizards fans via a Twitter video, saying he was ready to go:
Now that Avdija has thrown out the first pitch, maybe his teammate Rui Hachimura will give it a shot. Hachimura grew up playing baseball in Japan and has said before he quit the sport in part because he pitched so fast that no one his age could catch him.
It's time for Hachimura to show off that cannon.
