MLB
Who is throwing the ceremonial first pitch for game 4 of the MLB World Series?
Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch in Game 3 and another Yankees legend will do the honors on Tuesday evening.
The fourth and possibly last game of the 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees gets underway tonight (Tuesday 29 October 8:08 p.m. ET / 5:08 p.m. PT). The Dodgers hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and will be hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy aloft if they are triumphant at Yankee stadium later this evening.
We will see whether the Yankees can respond and take the series to a fifth game but that would be a feat in itself as no team has ever recovered after going 3-0 in a World Series and the last time it happened between these two, in 1963, the Dodgers swept their rivals 4-0.
So far we have seen Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Derek Jeter threw out the ceremonial first pitch (the tradition was changed ahead of Game 1 - Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager, placed baseballs on the mound in honor of their former teammate Fernando Valenzuela, who passed away on 1 November). Another Yankees legend has been chosen to take the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday.
First pitch thrower for Game 4 of the MLB World Series
Pinstripe legend, Paul O’Neill will take the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Game 4. Like Jeter, O’Neill was a member of the fabled Yankees dynasty of the 1990s and both players are enshrined in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium. His number 21 shirt was retired in August 2022.
O’Neill joined the Bronx Bombers on 3 November 1992 in a trade that saw Roberto Kelly head in the opposite direction to join the Cincinnati Reds. The right fielder would spend the next nine years with the franchise, with whom he won four World Series titles (1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000) and appeared in four All Star games.
Called The Warrior by fans in recognition of his powerful throwing arm, O’Neill ended his time with the Yankees with a .303 batting average, 304 doubles, 185 home runs, 858 runs batted in, a .377 on-base percentage and an .869 OPS. He was awarded the American League batting champion title in 1994 with a .359 average.
Looking back, he spoke fondly about his time in New York, “It was so much fun playing in that stretch of the late ‘90s, where winning almost seemed natural. You took it for granted.
“And now you look back, especially being part of those teams, [you see] how hard it is to continually win. Every at-bat, every game, every World Series meant a lot to me. Ever since I started playing sports against my older brothers, it was about winning and losing. It wasn’t about how you played, it’s who won and who lost”.