That's a semi-sidewinder from Jerry Seinfeld. The old-school windup and semi-sidewind motion. #LGMpic.twitter.com/mVqmVDQgVu
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) July 6, 2019
As the sitcom Seinfeld celebrated its 30th anniversary, its titular character/actor threw out the first pitch for his beloved New York Mets.
Jerry Seinfeld was the master of the New York Mets domain on Friday night.
The comedian/actor has long been a fan of the team. Thus, it was only appropriate he spent the 30th anniversary of the show bearing his name at Citi Field.
Seinfeld threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Mets’ showdown against the Philadelphia Phillies. The first 25,000 fans to arrive at the stadium also received a bobblehead in Seinfeld’s likeness, depicting him in the midst of a stand-up comedy performance and clad in a Mets jersey.
Seinfeld Night for the @Mets on Friday. Mets fan @JerrySeinfeld will be at the game. This is the bobblehead that will be given out to the first 25,000 fans. pic.twitter.com/RZhSzu3K8N
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 3, 2019
By celebrity first pitch standards, Seinfeld’s attempt was worthy of a big salad (the favorite lunch of Seinfeld protagonist Elaine Benes).
Dressed in a shirt bearing the name of Friday’s starter Jacob DeGrom, Seinfeld threw a well-placed ball to catcher Wilson Ramos. He would later join the Mets’ broadcasters in the SNY booth.
Friday marked the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Seinfeld, an NBC sitcom co-created by Seinfeld himself and longtime collaborator Larry David. The show ran for nine seasons and is widely considered one of the best and most influential series of all time.
Seinfeld would routinely work his love of the Mets into episodes. 1989’s debut outing, The Seinfeld Chronicles, features Seinfeld (playing a fictionalized version of himself) eagerly returning home from doing a set to watch a recorded Mets game, only to have it immediately spoiled by his neighbor Cosmo Kramer (known as Kessler at the time and portrayed by Michael Richards).
In 1992, a two-part episode entitled “The Boyfriend” features Jerry and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) competing for the attention of Keith Hernandez. The Mets legend is later revealed to have a prior run-in with Kramer and recurring character Newman (Wayne Knight).
Seinfeld episodes continue to air in national syndication. Locally, WPIX broadcasts a pair of episodes at 11:00 p.m. ET six nights a week.
