Watch Katie Ledecky throw out first pitch as Nationals’ Bryce Harper holds her Olympic medals
Katie Ledecky earned five Olympic medals in Rio last month. And those things weigh a ton — definitely not something she’d want hanging from her neck while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Nationals’ game against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Good thing Bryce Harper was there to hold them for her.
That’s reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper, who played along as, one by one, the swimming superstar handed him her four gold and one silver medal from the Summer Games before throwing a strike to Shawn Kelley behind the plate.
Ledecky said later that Harper was one of several Nationals players who had expressed interest in her medals when they met earlier in the day.
“They all wanted to see how heavy they were and things like that,” Ledecky said. “They are pretty heavy.”
Harper wrote on Instagram: “Was a pleasure holding something so valuable and important to this great country ... 2020 Olympics here I come, I need to get 1 of my own so I don't have to just hold Katie's! #USA”
It was the third time Ledecky threw out a first pitch for the Nationals. The Bethesda, Md.. native first did the honors back in 2012 after winning the 800-meter freestyle at the London Olympics at age 15. She also did it before the first game of their 2014 NL divisional series against the San Francisco Giants.
“A lot's happened in four years,” she said. “I've been to a couple world championships, more international meets, another Olympics, I've gone through high school, I'm heading out to college. Looking back four years ago, a lot has changed since then.”
And she has a lot more medals to carry around.
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