Bay Area native Pat Burrell made a name for himself with the Philadelphia Phillies, but always left his heart in San Francisco, playing an integral part of their 2010 World Series and now working as a scout for the Black and Orange.
Now Burrell will get the chance to tip his cap in front of both of their fans on Tuesday when he throws out the ceremonial first pitch at AT&T Park against the visiting Phillies.
Giants skipper Bruce Bochy is eager to see Burrell's stuff, who often would tell his former manager he could serve as an emergency relief pitcher during blowout games. Now, he can get a taste of what kind of stuff Pat the Bat has out on the hill:
"I'll get a chance to see what it looks like I guess," Bochy said. "He won't bounce it. There's a lot of pride there. If he bounces it, he knows he won't hear the end of it."
I'm sure he'll manage to get one over the plate. The real question will be is whether or not the machine will be present at the game.
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