Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
What was the most badass moment for any U.S. Olympian this year? Let me contend that it happened on the pitcher's mound of Nationals Park Wednesday night.Katie Ledecky—the half-human, half-speedboat who just came back from Rio after dominating there like no other swimmer—threw out the first pitch before the Nationals game in D.C. She just needed someone to hold all her medals so she could do it.Hey, Bryce Harper, you doing anything? That's right, Ledecky turned the reigning National League MVP, one of the best professional athletes alive, into her personal medal hanger for a moment.
Or as Dusty Baker told her when she walked into Washington's dugout: "You're a baaaad girl."Apparently it was Harper's idea to be the stand-in. Ledecky planned to do it like that when she arrived at the ballpark. She needed someone to act as the stagecraft and Harper volunteered, she told the Nationals broadcasters on MASN.That's just how it goes for Ledecky now. During her day at the park, she was the one having to deal with all her supporters—kind of a weird turn for a self-avowed Nationals fan."The players wanted pictures with me and it was kind of awkward for me because I'm such a big fan of theirs," she said. "I don't really see me in that position yet, so it was fun to get some pictures and meet them all."[MLB]
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