Overview
- Medvedev threw a ceremonial first pitch on Monday that landed as a strike to reliever Sam Moll while he wore a personalized Reds jersey, and the Reds went on to beat the Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings.
- He says his interest began with baseball video games on a PlayStation Portable and deepened after he attended a Reds game following an early exit from last year’s Cincinnati Open.
- Reporters and broadcasters noted Medvedev’s detailed Reds knowledge after he aced a Tennis Channel trivia segment about team stats, underscoring that his fandom appears sincere rather than purely promotional.
- Coverage from MLB.com, The Grandstand and other outlets, plus social posts from commentators, highlighted the quality of his pitch and the novelty of a top tennis star publicly endorsing a local MLB team.
- Medvedev, a top-10 ATP player in town for the Cincinnati Open, was eliminated from the tournament in the third round the day after the first-pitch appearance, ending any immediate on-site overlap between his tennis play and Reds support.