Jon Rahm has had a career year in 2023.
He won four times, including at The Masters in April. He helped Europe win the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Italy in September. He also recorded 10 top 10s, including runner-up finishes at the Mexico Open and The Open Championship.
He or Scottie Scheffler will win the 2023 Jack Nicklaus Award, given to the PGA Tour player of the year.
But before that award is announced, Rahm will throw out the first pitch for Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday, per Cameron Cox of Channel 12 News in Arizona.
BREAKING: Luis Gonzalez & Randy Johnson to throw first pitches before Game 3… and Masters Champion former Sun Devil Jon Rahm is slated for Game 4.
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) October 29, 2023
This year’s World Series features the 90-win Texas Rangers of the American League and the 84-win underdogs from the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rahm, who played collegiately at Arizona State, still resides in the greater Phoenix area. Hence, the Diamondbacks selected the two-time major champion to throw out the first pitch for Game 4.
Neither team was expected to make a deep run to the Fall Classic, but alas, here they are. Both clubs have relied on their explosive offenses to pull off multiple upsets throughout the postseason.
Texas, the fifth seed in the American League, swept Tampa Bay in the wild-card round, then swept the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. Then, in the ALCS, Texas took down the mighty Houston Astros, who have won two World Series titles within the last six years.
Arizona, meanwhile, snuck into the National League playoffs as the 6th seed. But like Texas, they swept their opponents in the wild-card round and the NLDS. Their triumph in the NLDS came against the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers, their division rival.
Then, in the NLCS, Arizona faced a 3-to-2 game deficit to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Diamondbacks faced a tall task, needing to win two games in Philadelphia to get to the World Series. They did just that, shocking the world in doing so.
But the Diamondbacks now find themselves in another hole. Texas currently holds a 2-to-1 series lead after the Rangers won Monday night’s Game 3 in Phoenix.
Perhaps Rahm can change the fortune of his local team with his first pitch on Tuesday.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
