Home   News   National   Article

Rishi Sunak guest of honour at Major League Baseball game in Washington DC


By PA News

Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

Rishi Sunak was guest of honour at a Major League Baseball game celebrating US-UK ties.

The Prime Minister watched Washington Nationals take on Arizona Diamondbacks during his trip to the US.

Fans were treated to a military flypast and both God Save the King and the Star Spangled Banner played by Royal Marines and US military bands.

Mr Sunak mingled with players before the game and wore a Nationals jacket as he was cheered onto the pitch – although Nationals Park was far from full.

The ceremonial first pitch at the UK-US Friendship Day was thrown by British army veteran Stuart Taylor after Downing Street rejected the idea of Mr Sunak throwing the ball in front of thousands of spectators.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with Screech the Washington Nationals Mascot while attending the Washington Nationals v Arizona Diamondbacks baseball at Nationals Park during his visit to Washington DC in the US. (Niall Carson, PA)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak poses for pictures with Screech the Washington Nationals Mascot while attending the Washington Nationals v Arizona Diamondbacks baseball at Nationals Park during his visit to Washington DC in the US. (Niall Carson, PA)

“These sorts of things are pitched to us from time to time but, at this event, the first pitch is going to be thrown by Stuart Taylor, who is the CEO of the Allied Forces Foundation,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

“That, I think we felt, was the most appropriate way of highlighting the breadth and depth of the UK-US relationship, particularly focusing on service personnel and veterans.”

After the pitch, Mr Sunak asked Mr Taylor: “How was that, quite good right?”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

Keep up-to-date with important news from your community, and access exclusive, subscriber only content online. Read a copy of your favourite newspaper on any device via the HNM App.

Learn more


This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More