Watch Patriots Rookie Cole Strange’s (Bad) Double-A First Pitch

When you get drafted in the first round, someone asks you to throw out the first pitch at their baseball game. That’s how it works.

Unfortunately for Cole Strange, his was one to forget.

The UT-Chattanooga alum was invited to a Chattanooga Lookouts — the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds — game to have his opportunity at throwing out a ceremonial first pitch. As is the case with most things, the worse a first pitch goes, the more attention it gets. So when Strange wound up and short-armed a throw into the dirt, you knew it was going to make the rounds on social media.

Comparatively speaking, it may not be such a bad thing that Strange’s pitch ended up in the on-deck circle. 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry fired a strike at a minor league game prior to his rookie season, and it’s probably the best he’s looked athletically since becoming a Patriot. Come to think of it, Strange is headed in the right direction.