First pitch will be ‘an honour’ for Doherty | Club

The Wolves’ time in Maryland begins in iconic fashion, with Matt Doherty throwing out the first pitch as the Baltimore Orioles take on the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

The Old Gold is in action the following night in Annapolis (tickets available here ). While they are near their home base in Baltimore, members of Gary O’Neil’s team can attend the American League East Division baseball game.

There, the Orioles’ hospitality will ensure that Doherty has the honor of throwing out the first pitch — a baseball tradition in which a prominent figure throws a ceremonial ball to signal the start of a game.

The Irishman, however, is not the first Wolves player to try his luck in baseball. Will Devey, who represented the Old Gold between 1891 and 1892, played for Birmingham Baseball Club Limited in the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain – the first and only professional baseball championship in Britain.

As baseball was becoming increasingly popular in the UK at the time, the sport was intended as a summer pastime for footballers and cricketers. However, the sport only lasted for one year.

Shortly afterwards, Devey moved to Molineux and scored 17 goals in 41 league games, becoming the club’s top scorer in the 1891–92 season, before moving to Aston Villa.

Now, Doherty will continue what Devey started 134 years ago by throwing out the first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles’ iconic Oriole Park at Camden Yards stadium.

Doherty said: “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m a fan of baseball and a lot of American sports – I watch them all on TV. It’s something not many people can say they’ve done, so it’ll feel really special.

“On Tuesday I’ll probably be a little nervous, a little bit nervous, because I’ve never thrown a baseball before, but I’m going to go for it, I’m not going to do any bullshit and try to hit the gloves as fast as I can.

“We heard about Will Devey’s story and it’s a cool thing in general. There’s not many people in America who can say they’ve done it, let alone from England. The timing is right and I’m pretty lucky to be able to do it.

“This is more than an activity for me – some people would have this on their bucket list. This is an honor, a privilege. I feel blessed to be doing this.”