In a comical turn of events, the U.S. figure skating team took to the diamond at Citi Field, but their first pitch attempts fell far short of the mark. Members of the team, including some from the gold medal-winning squad at the 2026 Winter Olympics, were on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mets faced off against the Nationals. Unfortunately for the skaters, their renowned grace on ice did not translate to the baseball field.

Pairs skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea kicked off the event, with Kam attempting a pitch from O’Shea’s shoulders. However, her throw veered wildly off-target, missing catcher Andrew Torgashev by a wide margin. The next to step up was Ilia Malinin, affectionately dubbed the “Quad God,” who managed a slightly better throw, yet it still slipped through Torgashev’s grasp.

Amber Glenn, a three-time gold medalist at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, followed suit, launching a pitch aimed at Emilea Zingas, who was perched on her partner Vadym Kolesnik’s shoulders. Despite executing a remarkable jump beforehand, Glenn’s throw sailed over Zingas’ head, adding to the day’s comedic misfires. The highlight came when Evan Gates, part of the silver medal-winning ice dancing duo in Milan, finally delivered the lone successful pitch of the day to skater Jason Brown.

The light-hearted first pitch ceremony stood in sharp contrast to the game that followed, which continued the Mets’ struggles, marking their 17th loss in the last 20 games. The Nationals quickly capitalized on a two-base throwing error by Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta, jumping to an early two-run lead. The Mets responded with a three-run homer from MJ Melendez, but their lead vanished in the eighth inning as reliever Luke Weaver surrendered a two-run blast to Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams.

Weaver reflected on the team’s performance after the game, expressing the weight of expectations. “This pursuit of perfection is just an ultimate pressurized failure mindset,” he shared. “I just think it becomes everybody wants to be the hero because we care and we want to win really, really bad. And I just don’t think success lives in that realm. The freedom of which we play day to day is kind of being suffocated a little bit.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.

Kenji Tanaka is an experienced sports journalist who brings an analytical approach to his coverage of baseball and martial arts. With a deep respect for tradition and a keen interest in the evolving dynamics of sports, Kenji’s work reflects a balance between reverence for the past and excitement for the future. At 21Sports.com, his articles are a blend of rich cultural insights and sharp analysis. In his free time, Kenji enjoys practicing kendo and exploring culinary adventures.