USA Today via Reuters
Jan 27, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; Phil Mickelson acknowledges the crowd after a putt on the fourth green during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports | REUTERS
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 27, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; Phil Mickelson acknowledges the crowd after a putt on the fourth green during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports | REUTERS
The six-time major winner Phil Mickelson is an incredible golfer. His thirty years of experience as a professional golfer tells why he is one of the best. Interestingly enough, he is not really good with other sports, or at least not at baseball.
Recently, ESPN Senior Writer Kevin Van Valkenburg shared a story involving Mickelson on the Shotgun Start podcast episode.
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Very appreciative that the boys let me come on and discuss one of my favorite (semi-)forgotten Phil Mickelson tales: The time he believed he could play professional baseball. https://t.co/Fa5MHhMVko
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) March 3, 2022
In the podcast, Valkenburg shared a funny story in which Lefty tried to pitch in a professional baseball game. According to him, the A. J. Hinch thought his pitches as “pretty soft.” A. J. Hinch is the current Detroit Tigers manager. Hinch also added, “Intend was really good, competitiveness is really good. but a little light below the hitting speed.”
The hosts of the podcast, Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath were laughing while listening to Mickelson’s story. Kevin further said that Phil could only pitch the ball at a speed of 68 miles an hour. He added, “He’s just out there, just throwing meatballs.”
What does Phil Mickelson think about the incident?
It was a major blow for Phil since he couldn’t actually get an offer to pitch the ball at an official match. However, he wasn’t going to be sad because of that. As a good sportsman he is, Phil thought it would be good to revisit the idea once his velocity is up.
USA Today via Reuters
May 27, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Phil Mickelson on the 14th tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports | REUTERS
“Throwing a baseball is an important part of my workout program,” Mickelson added. “so if I can get my speed to 85 mph or above consistently, I wouldn’t rule out trying this again.” He had also said that golf is his primary sport and will remain his top priority.
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The incident happened in 2003 when Mickelson still hadn’t won a major championship yet.
Mickelson’s golf career from 2003
Mickelson had a really rough year in 2003, as he didn’t win a championship title in the year. However, he has a rapid career growth ever since.
He won his first major, the Masters in 2004, and went on to win another five, including the 2021 PGA Championship. Mickelson won more than half of his 45 PGA events from 2003.
Evidently, Mickelson is not good at pitching the ball in a baseball game. However, it is not a problem but a funny story to remember as he has given the golf world a lot of memorable events while playing golf.
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