Pelosi to throw first pitch at Nats’ LGBTQ-themed ‘Night OUT’

She’s used to going to bat for Democrats and making political pitches as the former House Speaker, but now Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is on deck for a different challenge: Throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game.

Pelosi is poised to toss out the ceremonial first pitch at Major League Baseball’s (MLB) longest-running LGBTQ-themed event on Tuesday, the Washington Nationals’ “Night OUT” game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 83-year-old lawmaker, who stepped down from House leadership earlier this year, “is being recognized for her long-standing commitment to fighting for the rights and dignities of the LGBTQ+ community,” the Nationals said in a Monday statement.

The team said a portion of ticket sales at the 18th annual “Night OUT” will be donated to Team DC, an organization “that educates the LGBTQ community on the benefits of individual and team sports participation.”

Pelosi’s involvement in the Nationals event comes after another MLB team recently faced criticism for disinviting an LGBTQ group from its annual Pride Night festivities.

The Los Angeles Dodgers apologized and announced last month they reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ advocacy group, to participate in its June 16 Pride Night event. The about-face came after the Dodgers originally issued a statement saying the group was disinvited due to “the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters’ inclusion in our evening.”