Michael Phelps Takes Batting Practice With The Baltimore Orioles

@baltimoresun

Olympic hero Michael Phelps took batting practice with the Baltimore Orioles today ahead of the team's instrasquad game at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla.

The 27-year-old Baltimore-area native wore a No. 18 jersey -- for the record number of gold medals he's won at the past three Summer Olympics -- and took five rounds in the batting cage "with varying degrees of success" according to the Baltimore Sun.

Phelps, an avid golfer, is in Florida filming an episode of "The Haney Project" for the Golf Channel.

“It’s my first time taking BP, so it was a cool experience, being able to do that with these guys and especially after a remarkable season and hopefully they have a good one coming up,” Phelps told the Sun. “These guys are just normal guys, they are funny guys, they are just out here having fun and I enjoyed being around them.

“Everyone was sitting here saying what I should be doing so I just tried to listen to all of them a little bit. I wanted to hit one out, but we caught a couple that were close.”