Simone Biles is a true Texan, and looks like she is slowly emerging to be familiar with the MLB pitching mound too. On Friday, in a home game, the Houston Astros were playing against the Kansas City Royals, and the 11-time Olympic medalist threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Minute Maid Park. This was done in order to honor Texas-based Olympians, and knowing how Biles has been the favorite to throw out the first pitch in 2016 and 2019, this time, the pitch routine saw a slight change, and her former coach Cecile Landi, now based in Athens, couldn’t help but notice!

Donning a sky-blue cap, chic white cowboy-themed boots, and No. 24 Astros jersey—a jersey number that was retired in 2005 by the franchise to honor Jimmy Winn—Biles didn’t do her usual gymnastics moves before she threw a straight-up first pitch over the plate. Jon Singleton caught the pitch and later walked over to return the ball. While customs dictate that it is the player who signs the ball to return to the person who pitches the ball, it was actually Biles who autographed it for him. Regardless, it wasn’t missing flip or the combination of a twisting somersault and backflip in Biles’s past signature first pitches that caught Cecile Landi’s eyes.

The 27-year-old’s former personal coach at the World Champions Center couldn’t hide the inner perfectionist inside her. As the seven-time Olympic gold medalist gave everyone in attendance a gymnastics salute, Landi followed up with a score, “No 0.3 deduction for this salute!!! It was perfect,” said the coach-turned-judge for the special occasion, as she shared the footage on Instagram. It wasn’t an ordinary IG story, however. It was also a clever reference to a Paris Olympics mishap.

Besides slipping off the balance beam, which left her frustrated, Simone Biles’s dismount was followed by her usual salute, albeit it can be contested that she didn’t hold it for a long enough time. According to the current code of points stated by the International Gymnastics Federation, gymnasts are required “to present themselves in the proper manner (arm/s up) and thereby acknowledge the D1 judge at the commencement of her exercise and to acknowledge the same judge at the conclusion of her exercise.”

The judges at Bercy Arena penalized Biles for not saluting long enough, deducting three-tenths of a point from the seven-time gold medalist. Landi too confirmed after her floor event was over, “Yes, she did (get a deduction). That’s why on floor she sure did not get deducted for it.” What Landi was referring to was the gymnast took a parting shot at the judges by saluting for an unusually long period after her floor exercise finals. From the looks of her IG stories, it is safe to say that Landi has yet to let go of the penalty incident.

However, a salute may have been more fitting because the Astros and everyone in attendance were there to honor her and the Olympians who made the USA proud. Paris Olympics medalists including Shelby Mcewen, Jeffrey Louis, fencer Natalie Dostert, and even Jordan Chiles joined Biles for the grand event.

Jordan Chiles breaks cover with Simone Biles for the first time since bronze-medal controversy

Among the athletes who attended the event, fans were delighted to see Jordan Chiles in the flesh. The 23-year-old gymnastics icon, who wore matching white boots like Biles, has been a bit radio silent since the CAS stripped the athlete of her first individual Olympic medal. This was done after an appeal made by the Romanian team was upheld by the judging panel. Chiles was already reeling from the intense backlash, which took on a racial overtone after judges at Bercy Arena bumped boosted her score during the floor exercise finals on account of a review request from Cecile Landi who spotted a discrepancy.

The appeal made to CAS contested that Landi’s request for the review came after 4 seconds beyond the accepted 1-minute limit. The detailed account released by the CAS revealed details that exposed the lack of proper resource allocation from FIG to note the time lapsed between when the original score was posted and Landi’s request for review came in. Just a day after the CAS ruling was announced, the USAG appealed to the CAS that they had additional evidence to show that Landi’s request to file an inquiry happened 47 seconds after the score was posted, followed by a review 8 seconds later. So, what happened of it?

USAG was informed that CAS rules “do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented.” USAG dropped a statement later in their Instagram, stating, “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”

For now, it seems Chiles is finally ready to the entire ordeal behind her, returning to using social media too since Aug 28. Simone Biles’ best friend seemed cheerful during the event as she posed for photos. While Chiles may have lost the bronze title, the fans didn’t see her that way. The Astros fans in the stands cheered for who they believed was the true floor exercise bronze medalist.

What are your thoughts about this epic MLB and gymnastics world convergence? Share in the comments below!