Thomas Roberts Throws First Pitch at Orioles Game

Photo via Thomas Roberts' Facebook page

MSNBC's Thomas Roberts visited Baltimore Monday, June 15, to throw the first pitch in the Orioles' game against the Phillies. A Baltimore native, he recently covered the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore man who died after sustaining injuries while in police custody.

"I became connected with the Orioles through the coverage when I was down for the network in May and came to do an interview about the fact that they went ahead with the Orioles game with no fans at Camden Yards that day," Roberts told The Baltimore Sun. "We connected that way, and their VP of communications just stayed in touch with me and said, 'Hey, you're a Baltimore kid. How'd you like to come home one day and throw out the first pitch?' I said, 'Absolutely. Are you sure you've got the right guy?'"

A life-long Orioles fan, Roberts spent the last few weeks conditioning his throwing arm. It appears that practice makes perfect in this case as Roberts threw the first pitch in a winning game for the Orioles. Roberts will also throw the first pitch at the Nationals' game against the Tampa Bay Rays for their Night OUT, an LGBT community night.

Perhaps Roberts has a future in the pros if the whole journalism thing doesn't work out. He certainly has our vote for Rookie of the Year.