Days after the Washington Wizards made AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Boston native threw out the first pitch before the Boston Red Sox’s matchup with the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on Saturday.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward, was an imposing figure on the mound, even for a ceremonial first pitch. Unlike many first-pitch throwers, he threw from the pitching rubber, not the foot of the mound.
(Maybe he can tease New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart about throwing from the grass at Yankee Stadium when the Wizards play the Knicks next season.)
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That may also have been for the safety of Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle, who caught the pitch. With Dybantsa’s arm length, that throw could have been close to home plate when he released it.
With his height and wingspan, perhaps there was potential for Dybantsa to make an errant throw wide of the plate and hitting a poor staffer or mascot Wally the Green Monster. Dybantsa’s pitch was in the strike zone, but it took a while to get there.
Rather than firing a fastball to Tolle, Dybantsa opted for a high, arching pitch that looked more like a lob pass toward the basket. It was a well-thrown eephus pitch. First pitches are typically clocked by a radar gun, but the guess is that Dybantsa’s throw wouldn’t have exceeded 55 mph.
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Perhaps Dybantsa also brought his hometown team some good luck, as the Red Sox won their third straight game over the Yankees, 4-1. Boston will go for the four-game sweep on Sunday.
Jake Bennett allowed 1 run and 3 hits over 6 1/3 innings for Boston, while Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman combined for 2 2/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief. Willson Contreras struck the decisive blow with a 2-run double in the third inning, and rookie Anthony Siegler hit his first major-league home run.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole was roughed up for 4 runs and 7 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He’s allowed 9 total runs and 16 hits in his past two starts.
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“The command sometimes isn’t there,” Cole said after the game. “I just tried to be more aggressive and not care as much about where the pitch was going.”
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