Knicks Star Wears Special Jersey to Throw Yankees First Pitch

Josh Hart may not be interested in playing the five, but the New York Knicks star made his case for another five on Tuesday night.

Hart got Tuesday’s New York Yankee game started in style, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Bronx Bombers’ highly-anticipated showdown against the Baltimore Orioles.

Coming to the Bronx was a bit of a pilgrimage for Hart, who adorned the jersey of his great uncle Elston Howard. Howard, a 12-time All-Star, six-time World Series champion, and 1963 American League MVP was the first African-American player on the Yankees’ roster, playing 13 seasons with the team (1955-67) before ending his tenure with two seasons in Boston.

Hart never got to meet Howard, who passed away 15 years before he was born in 1995. He did, however, express admiration for the catcher/outfielder before partaking in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship with the Villanova Wildcats.

“(He’s) someone who’s in your family who got to the highest level, who won six World Series championships, was an MVP, is someone you look up to, is somebody you aspire to be in your respective sport,” Hart said, per Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia at the time. “I used him as a role model, just everything he was able to do: the first black player to play for the Yankees, the character that he had is something that I try to resemble.”

‘Dad was always telling me stories about when he used to go to the ballpark and watch him play and just learn from him. It’s someone that I look up to, someone that I always wished I was able to meet. Hopefully, a couple of generations down, someone in my family will be saying the same thing about me.”

Yankee fans certainly hope Hart’s pregame appearance is the first of several celebrations on Tuesday night: with a win over the Orioles, the Yankees will clinch the AL East division title and will keep pace in the chase for homefield advantage throughout the upcoming MLB playoffs.

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