Doug Pederson threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Phillies home opener on Thursday against the Miami Marlins.
The Philadelphia Eagles head coach brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy with him and received the loudest ovation of the day up until that point.
Coach Pederson said he threw exactly 13 warm-up tosses today but had a catch with his son in the yard yesterday to be ready. Always prepared, that coach.
In a nice gesture, Pederson chose to wear a No. 34 Roy Halladay jersey for the moment.
Doug delivered a strike right down the middle to Rhys Hoskins.
"That right there was probably the most nervous I felt for a sporting event in a long time," Pederson said. "The Super Bowl I was pretty nervous as well."
"My only concern was hitting the mitt."
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Pederson was asked about his decision to wear the No. 34 jersey.
"I knew coming in that they were going to honor [Halladay] and his family, one of the great Phillies. I think it was just a great opportunity for me and the Eagles organization to represent him and the Phillies. I really wanted to honor him with wearing it."
Pederson was holding up the Lombardi trophy to incredible cheers today but it wasn't always that way for Doug. His start in Philly wasn't without a few bumps along the way. He spoke about the somewhat negative reactions Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler received today.
"Been there," Doug said.
Pederson spoke with Gabe prior to the game, the first time the two have met. His message to Kapler is simple.
"It's about the locker room. It's about the players. Stay focused on those guys and everything will be okay."
"When you're going through it, obviously it's difficult but I can remember back in my first year when we didn't play so well, but I continued to trust the process, trust my players, trust in my staff, and things worked out."
"It's a long season. They're going to be fine."
What a moment.
Doug Pederson, wearing a Roy Halladay jersey, delivers a perfect strike before the first pitch of today's game. pic.twitter.com/gKt5ZkTacp
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 5, 2018
Doug said he played baseball in high school and was a pitcher and outfielder. His baseball career obviously took a second seat to his football career. Smart move.
