Viral Stand-Up Comedian at Phillies BP Before Scheduled First Pitch

The Philadelphia Phillies will have a viral comedian throw out the first pitch ahead of their Wednesday game and he decided to join the team for batting practice.

Jul 6, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Darick Hall (24) participates in batting practice before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Things could not have started better for the Philadelphia Phillies this year following their opening series disappointment against their archrival Atlanta Braves.

Since those three games, they have been a juggernaut, becoming the first team to reach 20 wins, 30 wins, and be 20 clear of .500.

They look like legitimate World Series contenders after coming into the season a little overlooked following the noisy winter the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros had, while the sentiment surrounding the Braves continued to view them as a top contender.

The Phillies have shown they don't care about perception and are just focused on winning the final game of the year and hoisting the World Series trophy.

That focus has allowed Philadelphia to have such a dominant start, and when things are going well for professional sports teams, everyone wants a piece.

Ahead of their second contest against the defensing champion Texas Rangers, viral stand-up comedian and Phillies fan Shane Gillis is scheduled to throw out the first pitch. However, he decided to spend a little bit more time with the best team in baseball and attended their batting practice.

Noted Phillies fan Shane Gillis is here for BP. He’s throwing out the first pitch tonight.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 22, 2024

The 36-year-old Gillis was born in Mechanicsburg, PA and started performing stand-up in Harrisburg before relocating to Philadelphia to expand his career. He won Helium Comedy Club's annual "Philly's Phunniest" tournament in 2016 that put him on the map in comedy.

He was eventually hired by Saturday Night Live before getting fired after old clips surfaced from his "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" that saw him using ethnic slurs about Chinese people that he later called regrettable jokes.

Recently though, his profile has exploded, earning him a stand-up special on Netflix titled Beautiful Dogs.

Now, Gillis will be throwing out the first pitch ahead of the Phillies' matchup against the Rangers as the team looks to keep things rolling.