Apr 15, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Actor Tom Hanks holds Wilson the volleyball from his film Cast Away before the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Hanks threw out the first pitch. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
MLBPop CultureBy Matt Clapp on

Acting legend Tom Hanks had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for the Cleveland Guardians’ home opener against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. And Hanks was joined on the mound by the only friend he had in much of the film Cast Away.

Wilson the volleyball provided Hanks some company on the Progressive Field mound, but kept moving away from Hanks. Perhaps the wind was quite funky in Cleveland, but it sure seems that this was a remote-controlled Wilson on the field.

As for the pitch, it was a little bit outside, but certainly not bad at all in comparison to how these ceremonial first pitches frequently go.

Hanks threw the pitch to Hall of Famer Larry Doby Jr., who broke the American League color barrier 75 years ago.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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