Not many understand the pressure of performing than sports players. The margin of error is so thin that sometimes one tiny mistake can cost everything. Case in point: one mistake from Alek Thomas was one of the biggest reasons for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ defeat. Yet sometimes pressure comes not from the competition but from the moment itself. Something similar happened to world no.3 golfer Jon Rahm when he had to throw the first pitch in the World Series.

The atmosphere at Chase Field was already tense due to the D-Backs trailing in the series. So when Rahm came to throw the ceremonial first pitch he already had to face a tense crowd. The golfer talked about the moments before he took the mound and the thoughts swirling inside his mind.

Jon Rahm was in panic mode before the first pitch

No one could have guessed that the world no.3 and former no.1  Jon Rahm would get scared before pitching a ball. The player actually spent hours preparing for that moment when he had to throw a ball to an MLB catcher. Most guests don’t often do well as the performance pressure gets to them. So they usually end up lobbing or bouncing the ball. Rahm too was worried about the same so he decided to take some measures to prepare himself.

In an interview with Colt and Drew on Gravy & The Sleeze, the golfer revealed his thoughts before the game.

“”Oh the level of panic was pretty high. I got invited to go to the team clubhouse right in the locker room and they introduced me to Kelly, who was catching the pitch, talked a few of the guys and I could not stop asking for advice on what to do.”

Players gave some tips to Rahm, “Everybody’s like go in front of the mountain like you got dress shoes on you...Do not bounce the ball, do not lob it. Don’t worry too much about throwing the strike and I was like. Okay so try to throw it hard. It was a bit of an experiment.”

In the end, Rahm threw a wide pitch. Still, he informed the interviewers that he had actually practiced for the pitch in his home. ” I’m not going to lie. I did practice at home, not with the suit on, but all pretty much. All the pitches were way better than the one I threw.” 

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As it turns out, the Spaniard threw better pitches at his home than in the park. Still, he did a lot better than most would have expected from him. And now with the World Series over, maybe he can use the off-season to practice and do an even better first pitch the next time an MLB team invites him. Meanwhile, the baseball world also eagerly awaits winter.

Things to look forward to in the off-season

The off-season has arrived. As teams reel from postseason losses, except for Texas, they will look to rebuild with talent acquisition. Shohei Ohtani’s saga is one of the biggest stories going around. Apart from this the New York Yankees and Juan Soto connection is also one to look forward to. What will teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros do?

They came very close to glory but missed it at the last moment. Will the New York Mets continue their spending spree and will it show its results after a disaster of a season in 2023?

Only time will tell.

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