Ruling as a part-time umpire who had a good view from the pressbox at Busch Stadium, Obama's pitch was a no-doubt-about-it ball, even factoring in an expanded strike zone for the Commander-in-Chief. Obama's southpaw delivery was a little short of the plate, but Cardinals star Albert Pujols (notes) was able to save it by quickly scooping it up.
UPDATE: Pujols says the pitch "didn't hit the ground".
Before his throw, Obama took the field and accepted the ceremonial first ball from Cardinals legend Stan "The Man" Musial. He then jogged to the mound and chose to stand on top of the rubber instead of taking the easy politician stance a few feet in front of it.
Obama's first pitch was an addition to the long history of Presidents and baseball. Here are a few more bits of Presidential All-Star trivia, via the New York Times:
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended the 1937 game and threw out the first pitch from the Presidential Box at Griffith Stadium in D.C.
• JFK and LBJ attended the 1962 All-Star Game in Washington and called Musial over to their box to congratulate him for getting a hit in the seventh.
• At the 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Richard Nixon threw out two first pitches, one each to both of the starting catchers, Bill Freehan and Johnny Bench.
• Gerald Ford did the same in 1976 — the last time a President threw out a first pitch at the All-Star Game — but topped Nixon by throwing one lefthanded and one righthanded.
• Ronald Reagan attended the 1989 All-Star Game in Anaheim, but didn't throw out the first pitch. Instead, the former baseball broadcaster visited the announcer's booth and was able to call a Wade Boggs' home run.
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