#Anthony Fauci’s wayward first pitch immortalized with very own Topps card

The morning after the nation’s leading infectious disease expert threw the ceremonial first pitch for the 2020 season’s opening game between the Yankees and Nationals in D.C., Fauci got a baseball card of his own.

However, the memory attached to the baseball card may not be as positive as his introduction as “a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career” from the home team. He has his pitch to thank for that.

“It went in the wrong direction,” Fauci told the Washington Post Friday. “I joked around after and said I used to be a shortstop when I played ball as a young boy and I thought I was supposed to throw to first base.”

Topps, an official baseball card company, launched a Dr. Anthony Fauci card for a limited time – 24 hours to be exact. The card shows Fauci mid-throw and includes some information on his career.

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, longtime Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and ardent Washington Nationals fan, signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB regular season by throwing out the first pitch before the Nationals took on the Yankees on Thursday evening,” the card reads. “The 79-year-old Brooklyn native, donning a Nationals jersey, hat and facemask, fired a strong effort to the plate before the Nationals took the field.”