Anthony Fauci gets baseball card to commemorate first pitch at Nationals opener

Anthony Fauci featured on baseball card The Topps Company featured Dr. Anthony Fauci on a limited edition baseball card that was released Friday. Fauci threw out the first pitch before the Washington Nationals' home opener Thursday. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )

July 25, 2020 at 5:23 pm PDT

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s best pitch remains in the medical field, but his errant throw before the Washington Nationals’ home opener Thursday night has now been immortalized on a baseball card.

Fauci’s pitch was way outside, but Topps nevertheless honored the nation’s top infectious disease expert with a card Friday, ESPN reported. The card front pictured Fauci on the mound, preparing to deliver the pitch. Fauci was wearing a Nationals face covering as he strolled to the mound.

The card did not show where the ball landed -- far away from home plate.

A strong effort to the plate. 💪 Introducing the instantly iconic Dr. Fauci #ToppsNOW card!

Collect the moment - available for 24 hours only ➡️ https://t.co/ivsCJTR234 pic.twitter.com/0egpJNuyZj
— Topps (@Topps) July 24, 2020

“It went in the wrong direction,” Fauci told The Washington Post on Friday. “I joked around after and said I used to be a shortstop when I played ball as a young boy and I thought I was supposed to throw to first base.”

The Topps Now card has already been sold out, as was available from the trading card company’s website for 24 hours.

Topps Now cards “celebrates the greatest moments in sports and entertainment,” the company said on its website. All Topps Now cards have a limited sale shelf life, as cards are produced daily and are available for 24 hours. Topps announced that 51,512 Fauci cards were purchased for $9.99 apiece.

Cox Media Group