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WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome got to work at Nationals Park on Monday.
Before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch as part of the Capitals and Washington Nationals’ crossover for the Nats’ 20-year anniversary, he boarded the team’s “ICE SCREAMMMM” truck in honor of the team’s new third jerseys.
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With his daughter, Weslie, in tow, Strome served free ice cream to fans lined up outside the park and gave away some hats, too.
After that, Strome took the field, and had quite the support system behind him. Teammates Connor McMichael, Ryan Leonard, Brandon Duhaime, John Carlson, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Aliaksei Protas, along with Matt Strome and Ilya Protas, came out to support No. 17.
“I wasn’t really but btu then when your teammates are out there with you,” Strome explained, adding, “Dewey was asking if I was nervous the whole time.”
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As Strome took the mound, he wanted to try to throw it a bit lower than he had in practice so it would reach Jake Irvin’s glove. His throw was just shy of home plate, though, and his teammates sent some chirps his way as the ball hit the dirt.
“Not my best effort on the pitch, but it was fun,” Strome said, rating it a seven — then a four — out of 10.
Will he take the field again? Maybe, but ultimately, he’s sticking to what he knows best.
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“I’m not a pitcher, I’m a hockey player,” Strome declared.