In Photos: WNBA's Phoenix Mercury stars trade layups to take turns throwing first pitches in Diamondbacks jerseys
The WNBA fever reached the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field, as three Phoenix Mercury stars pulled up Friday night to throw ceremonial pitches ahead of the game against the Chicago White Sox. Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud and Brittney Griner were in the ballpark to throw the first pitches.
The Diamondbacks celebrated Pride Night on Friday and had LGBTQ icon and staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights, Brittney Griner, along with her Mercury teammates. All three WNBA stars threw strike, greeted Diamondbacks players and got their baseballs signed.
The MLB social media channel shared glimpses from the occasion, which were as follows:
The presence of the three stars turned out to be good luck for the Dbacks, who won 7-1 against the White Sox.
Ryne Nelson, who started the game for the Dbacks, threw 6.1 innings, only allowing one earned run on six hits, one walk and eight Ks. On offense, Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suarez hit the ball in the stands. Pederson had two RBIs on two hits and also scored two runs, while Tucker Barnhart drove in two runs on as many hits.
Chris Flexen, who started for the White Sox, surrendered nine hits and two walks, resulting in four earned runs.
Kahleah Copper talked about executing pitches well at Diamondbacks' Pride Night celebrations
On Sunday, following the Mercury's 87-78 victory against the Seattle Storm, Kahleah Copper and Brittney Griner were asked about their first pitches being executed well during Pride Night Celebrations during the Diamondbacks' game.
"Yeah, we had very little practice and we were really good. So, I'm proud of us. Also, that was a long day. It was three strikes. Three of them was up there. Come on, man. Don't matter," Copper said at the press conference.
Against the Storm, Griner and Copper carried the load of Mercury's offense, contributing 28 and 30 points, respectively.
Veteran guard Diana Taurasi contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win. On the other end of the floor, Nneka Ogwumike recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds and 15 points.
With the win, the Phoenix Mercury improved to .500 (7-7) while the Storm dropped to 9-5.