It wasn’t the 60-feet, 6-inch toss he was hoping for, but from about 45 feet Tuesday evening, Sunny D brought the heat. Drew threw out the first pitch at Comerica Park before the Tigers-Mariners game, and a whole crew of Trenton folks were on hand to see him in action.
Throwing to firstbase coach Andy VanSlyke, Drew eyed his target, went into his windup, and delivered a tasty, two-seamer. Instantly, text messages from family and friends scattered throughout the stadium (and more from family and friends watching on TV at home, hoping it would be televised) poured in. Uncle Marko, seated somewhere at Comerica with a great vantage point of home plate, declared “good velocity…painted the corner.”
Afterwards, Drew exchanged niceties with VanSlyke (who autographed the ball for him) and was approached by the Tigers’ marketing guy, who told him, “Nice pitch. Call us in about eight years.”
All in all, it was an unforgettable night downtown. Mayor Bing even showed up. And for the record, the Tigers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth and won, 5-3.
