Maybe the U.S. figure skating team should rethink their role on the diamond and stick to the ice instead.
Several members of the team, including those who won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, threw the first pitch at Citi Field before the Mets faced off against the Nationals, ultimately losing 5-4.
While skaters are typically graceful, their first pitch attempts turned out to be rather chaotic.
Pair skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea led the way, with Kam perched on O’Shea’s shoulders, but the ball sailed well wide of Andrew Tolgashev.
Ilya Marinin, often referred to as the “God of the Quad,” followed up and threw the ball toward Tolgashev, who unfortunately couldn’t catch it.
Next up was Amber Glenn, a three-time gold medalist at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, who tossed the ball to Emilea Zingas, who was also on Kolesnik’s shoulders. Despite a great leap beforehand, Glenn’s throw went over Zingas’ head.
Evan Gates, who is part of a silver medal-winning ice dancing duo from Milan, managed the only successful throw of the day to fellow skater Jason Brown.
This pitch seemed to set the tone for what was an erratic game for the Mets, marking their 17th loss in the last 20 outings.
Washington quickly jumped ahead with a two-run lead, thanks to an error by Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta. The Mets did respond with a three-run homer from MJ Melendez, but they lost their edge in the eighth when reliever Luke Weaver hit Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, leading to a two-run homer.
Weaver reflected on the game afterward, stating, “The pursuit of perfection often feels like a setup for failure under intense pressure. I think the desire to be heroes drives people because we really want to win.” He added, “Yet, it sometimes feels like the freedom we play with can become a bit suffocating.”
