Tom Hanks Brought Out an Old Friend for First Pitch of Guardians-Giants

The actor threw out the first pitch at Friday night’s game between the Guardians and Giants, and brought the famed volleyball from his legendary film, Castaway.

Actor Tom Hanks was on hand for the Guardians-Giants game on Friday night in Cleveland, and had the honor of throwing out the game’s first pitch.

Hanks made sure to make the moment count, as he brought out an old friend, “Wilson” from his legendary film Castaway

The volleyball from the 2000 film was depicted as Tom Hanks’s only friend after Hanks realized he was the lone survivor on a deserted island.

Hanks brought the volleyball out to the mound for first pitch, but it rolled away from him multiple times. Hanks chased after the ball to make sure it was by his side for the first pitch of the game.

Hanks’s ties to Cleveland go back to the 1970s, when he was an intern at the Great Lakes Theater Festival, a job that he credits as his first paid acting job.

His move to bring Wilson out to the mound brought the crowd to its feet at Progressive Field, bringing the memorable film back to the forefront on Friday night in Cleveland.

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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.