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Last week, I wrote every sitting president since Taft in 1910 had thrown out a first pitch at a MLB game except Trump.
@RickCanale called me out. Jimmy Carter never did, he said.
Was he right? The answer was surprisingly hard to figure out!
(Thread) https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2020/07/23/ny-gov-andrew-cuomo-first-pitch-baseball/5475553002/
@RickCanale called me out. Jimmy Carter never did, he said.
Was he right? The answer was surprisingly hard to figure out!
(Thread) https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2020/07/23/ny-gov-andrew-cuomo-first-pitch-baseball/5475553002/
Dozens of big-time (WaPo, CNN, ESPN, Baseball Almanac) and crowd-sourced (Wiki, Baseball Reference) outlets have reported Carter threw a first pitch at Game 7 of the 1979 World Series, which was played in Baltimore.
Seemingly fewer outlets (NYT, History Channel among them) have said the opposite: Jimmy Carter never threw a first pitch before an MLB game.
(Side note: WaPo has reported it both ways, at one point citing Baseball Almanac, which also has it both ways.)
(Side note: WaPo has reported it both ways, at one point citing Baseball Almanac, which also has it both ways.)
Totally confused, I contacted the @baseballhall.
And? They didn't know either!
Carter definitely did not throw a first pitch on Opening Day, which had been tradition. But the HOF didn't have a record of whether he threw one at the World Series.
And? They didn't know either!
Carter definitely did not throw a first pitch on Opening Day, which had been tradition. But the HOF didn't have a record of whether he threw one at the World Series.
So I turned to stories/footage from 1979.
We know this much: Carter was definitely in attendance.
The TV broadcast shows Carter pregame, but no first pitch. Getty has a bunch of photos; no first pitch: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/jimmy-carter-1979-world-series?family=editorial&phrase=jimmy%20carter%201979%20world%20series&sort=best#license
We know this much: Carter was definitely in attendance.
The TV broadcast shows Carter pregame, but no first pitch. Getty has a bunch of photos; no first pitch: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/jimmy-carter-1979-world-series?family=editorial&phrase=jimmy%20carter%201979%20world%20series&sort=best#license
This article was probably the most damning.
WaPo wrote a full story at the time about Carter attending the game in '79. Follows him from the moment he arrives 'til the moment he leaves. Not a single mention of a first pitch. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/10/18/president-takes-night-at-series-in-cool-stride/91e3c642-27b7-4b1b-b8d6-69aa0d4057f1/
WaPo wrote a full story at the time about Carter attending the game in '79. Follows him from the moment he arrives 'til the moment he leaves. Not a single mention of a first pitch. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/10/18/president-takes-night-at-series-in-cool-stride/91e3c642-27b7-4b1b-b8d6-69aa0d4057f1/
Then today brought the most definitive proof yet.
The folks at @CarterLibrary got back to me. They checked Jimmy Carter's daily diary from Oct. 17, 1979, the date of Game 7.
No mention of a first pitch. They checked photos, too -- no first pitch.
The folks at @CarterLibrary got back to me. They checked Jimmy Carter's daily diary from Oct. 17, 1979, the date of Game 7.
No mention of a first pitch. They checked photos, too -- no first pitch.
So, there you have it: Jimmy Carter did not throw a first pitch at the 1979 World Series, despite many, many outlets reporting otherwise.
When people (myself included!) say Trump is the only sitting president since 1910 to not throw a first pitch, tell them they're wrong.
When people (myself included!) say Trump is the only sitting president since 1910 to not throw a first pitch, tell them they're wrong.
