Simone Biles Executes the Greatest First Pitch in Baseball History at World Series

Leave it to Simone Biles to pull off the greatest ceremonial first pitch in history. First pitches are usually only interesting — or worth noting — if they’re really bad. As in don’t come within two zip codes of the catcher bad.

But Biles — the greatest gymnast ever — manages to defy that truth before Game 2 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park. How? By going airborne of course — and defying the laws of gravity that govern most humans like only she can.

Biles breaks into a backflip from a standing still stop — and adds a twist in the air — before even taking the baseball for the traditional celebrity moment first pitch. Then, she throws the ball to Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick, who is playing ceremonial catcher for the occasion.

Hey, it’s Simone Biles. Did you expect her to just throw the baseball like everyone else?

Biles, who lives in a relatively modest development near The Woodlands, is becoming a regular at Houston sporting events. She and her parents went to a Houston Rockets playoff game last spring — with Biles getting stopped almost every two feet for an autograph or picture request and happily obliging. She’s just as Houston proud as J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, James Harden, Russell Westbrook or any of the other major H-Town team sports pro athletes who have become semi Astros regulars during October.

Biles wore an orange No. 19 Astros jersey with her name on it — and made her sister Adria part of her World Series moment, bringing sis out into the field with her. Adria also was tasked with holding the baseball while Biles did the whole twisting, flip thing.

Still, Biles swears that these type of public appearances and first pitch type duties actually make her much more nervous than the Olympics. You know those once-every-four-years athletic showcases that define her legacy.

“I get more nervous doing this stuff than competing, which is really weird,” Biles says in the bowels of Minute Maid before her first pitch moment.

Then, she goes out there and pulls off a twisting backflip in front of a sellout World Series crowd.

As Biles started twisting in the air, Marisnick just squatted there behind home plate, a giant grin spreading across his face. The pro baseball player couldn’t quite believe it either.

It’s the appropriate reaction. That’s what Simone Biles does. She makes your mouth drop — no matter what athletic field she happens to be on.