After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday night’s MLB season opener, Dr. Anthony Fauci now has a baseball card of his own.
Even though his pitch was way off the mark, Topps honored Fauci with a baseball card on Friday. The front shows a picture of Fauci on the mound — wearing a mask — letting the ball go without showing where it landed.
“It went in the wrong direction,” Fauci told the Washington Post on Friday. “I joked around after and said I used to be a shortstop when I played ball as a young boy and I thought I was supposed to throw to first base.”
A strong effort to the plate. 💪 Introducing the instantly iconic Dr. Fauci #ToppsNOW card!
Collect the moment – available for 24 hours only ➡️ https://t.co/ivsCJTR234 pic.twitter.com/0egpJNuyZj
— Topps (@Topps) July 24, 2020
Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, and he has been one of the faces of the United States’ fight against the pandemic.
Fauci threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals kicked off the shortened 2020 season at home against the New York Yankees.
He’s also a big fan of the Nationals — often wearing a face mask with team logos — and when MLB’s season was on hiatus, he spoke of wanting to see them play again.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.