Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero on Friday threw out the ceremonial first pitch for his hometown Seattle Mariners as they hosted the Los Angeles Angels.
Panchero was on hand for the festivities as the two teams opened a weekend series at T-Mobile Park. He has been back in the Pacific Northwest and recently participated in the annual CrawsOver Pro-Am, in which he dropped 50 points.
The No. 1 pick took the mound to a loud ovation from the crowd as fans welcomed him back with open arms. Banchero took a few moments to gather himself and then delivered a strike to Paul Sewald.
Our very own #1 NBA draft pick @Pp_doesit with the Ceremonial First Pitch tonight. #SeaUsRise #SeattleMariners pic.twitter.com/L3jOgQ3DXM
— Bel_CSS (@bel_css) August 6, 2022
After throwing out the first pitch, Banchero linked up with Washington native Isaiah Thomas. The two were treated to an exciting game, but the Mariners fell in 10 innings after scoring three runs late to tie the game and force extras.
With the young đ @Pp_doesit at the @Mariners game đ pic.twitter.com/Fgu766DFPZ
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) August 6, 2022
Banchero and Thomas have a longstanding friendship after playing in several of the same events in Seattle over the years. Banchero is scheduled to participate in Thomas’ seventh annual “Zeke-End” pro-am tournament on Saturday in Tacoma.
[lawrence-related id=79466,79237,78920]
[mm-video type=video id=01g8k3d0wwpr68typ2fr playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8k3d0wwpr68typ2fr/01g8k3d0wwpr68typ2fr-f989a599f5efffd647ca124f2b6f0f9d.jpg]
[listicle id=79195]