Shin Soo-ji throws like a girl...rhythmic gymnast

Rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo-ji threw the opening first pitch yesterday at a baseball game at Jamsil baseball stadium in Seoul, South Korea:

The South Korean rhythmic gymnast threw out the first pitch at a baseball game in Seoul, South Korea, between the Doosan Bears and the Samsung Lions. But Shin Soo-Ji didn’t just throw her pitch.

 She twisted her body, spun in a circle, threw her leg over her head, and then tossed the ball directly over home plate. 

OK, so it wasn’t directly over the plate. It probably wasn’t even a strike. But the video isn’t really impressive because Soo-Ji’s accuracy. It’s impressive because she practically does a flip mid wind-up and still manages to get the ball to the catcher. 

The pitch stunned the baseball players, got a great reaction from the announces, and amazed the internet. 

According to All K Pop, Shin Soo-Ji’s pitch used an acrobatic move called a “back illusion.” I guess that’s because it looks like the gymnast is turning her back to the plate but she’s actually spinning under leg. 

And here is Son Yeon-jae at the same stadium 2 years ago for the LG Twins, throwing out the first pitch:

Rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo-ji flips herself around while keeping a leg on the ground throwing out a first pitch.

Also two years ago at a Padres game, a Cirque du Soleil pitch by Gabryel Nogueira da Silva:





Clearly it's not whether you win or lose, but how you stylishly play the game and the look of panache while doing it.

A bit of history on the ceremonial first pitch:

For decades, the honor was extended only a few times a season to a rarefied group that included presidents, mayors and military veterans. These days, it is regarded as a marketing opportunity, a sweetener in sponsorship deals between baseball teams and groups that want a piece of the spotlight. 

The rite, now carried out nightly, is handed to actors and reality television stars, sponsors’ representatives and contest winners, and people dressed as animals as well as actual animals.