Former President George W. Bush Set to Throw 1st Pitch Before World Series Game 1
Years before he became President of the United States, George W. Bush was a co-owner of Texas Rangers.
The Rangers may not have had much success during Bush's tenure, but here they are, a full generation later, playing for their first-ever World Series title.
Bush will return to Arlington to toss the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez will catch Bush's pitch, per team radio announcer Jared Sandler.
Longtime Rangers third baseman Adrián Beltré is slated to handle first pitch duties for Game 2 on Saturday.
The last time Bush threw out a first pitch during the World Series was ahead of Game 5 back in 2017. Despite his allegiances to the Rangers, Bush wore Houston Astros gear that night, and his secondary team wound up posting a 13-12 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that night.
Bush also tossed an iconic first pitch at the 2001 World Series, less than two months after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. After flashing a thumbs up to a raucous crowd at Yankees Stadium, Bush threw a perfect strike in one of the most iconic moments the sport has seen this century.
The New York Yankees won that night to avoid going down 3-0 in the series, but it was the Diamondbacks who ultimately came out on top after seven games.
Bush was named General Managing Partner of the Rangers in 1989, and he served as the team's CEO until he stepped down to become Governor of Texas in 1994. When the Rangers sold to Tom Hicks in 1998, Bush turned the $500K he invested into a $15 million profit.
Texas had won just one division title in their 26 years of existence before Bush's group divested, but they secured back-to-back AL West crowns once Hicks took over. The Rangers made the World Series in 2010 and 2011 – immediately after Hicks was forced to sell the team – but they hadn't been back to the Fall Classic since.
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