World Series: Vin Scully Can Still Call A Great Game, Even If It Is Just The First Pitch

The capacity crowd at Dodger Stadium for Game 2 of the World Series were treated to one of the only things that could get them more pumped up than being at Game 2 of a World Series: an appearance by Dodgers broadcasting legend Vin Scully to throw out the first pitch.

Fox made sure to stick with the pregame ceremony, in which Scully wandered out to the mound with microphone in hand — his first appearance on the diamond since his farewell day May 3 after the Hall of Famer retired at the end of the 2016 season after 67 years in the business, all with the Dodgers.

“Boy, it’s a long walk to the mound,” said Scully.

Scully played it in typical Scully-esque fashion with self-deprecating cracks as the stadium roared — there had been a social media storm trying to get Scully to return to the booth to call a World Series game after the Dodgers’ beat the Cubs in the NLCS to clinch their first berth since 1988. (After this was over, Fox play-by-play guy Joe Buck said he’d escort him to the broadcast booth personally if he’d do it.)

Among his one-liners: “Do you know what I’m thinking right now? Somewhere up in heaven, Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Gil Hodges are laughing their heads off — look who’s throwing out the first ball at the World Series.”

He added: “Alright Scully, you’re in front of this big crowd, there’s a lot of pressure, you’ve been practicing for a week, don’t mess up.”

Scully eventually called former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager to catch his pitch — “It must be terrifying for you to look out here and see me,” he told the 1981 Dodgers World Series co-MVP. He told the crowd and Yeager that he had been practicing with his wife. “She said that I had good stuff, my problem Steve, is my fastball is the same as my changeup. So i hope that doesn’t confuse you.”

Scully, 89, wasn’t going to actually throw the first pitch. He called out ex-Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela to do it for him.

After that, he finished as he always does.

“There is one thing you and I always did every day for every game,” he told the crowd, “so I’m going to ask you to say it with me so they can hear it all the way in Houston: “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”

Here’s the full video:

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