Braves’ scouting report on Usher’s first pitch: Off the plate, ‘but he made it’
Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Braves utility player Luke Williams has truly done it all in the field. In his Braves career, he has played every infield position and left field, been designated hitter and in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Rockies even took a turn at pitching.
He showed off another tool in his kit before Wednesday’s game at Truist Park – personal catcher for Usher. When the R&B legend threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the night that the team gave out bobblehead dolls in Usher’s image, Williams was tapped to receive his toss.
“It was cool,” Williams told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday. “I like Usher. Yeah, yeah.”
(For the sake of clarity, Williams did not sing “Yeah, yeah,” – part of the lyrics of Usher’s mega-hit “Yeah!” but quickly repeated his confirmation of his appreciation of his music.)
Catching first pitches is normally the duty of the team bat boy, but in this case a team official sought the help of an actual player.
“So they brought in the big guns, I guess,” Williams said, tongue in cheek. “I can’t blame ’em.”
Williams’ scouting report of Usher’s right-handed delivery: “It was a little bit off the plate, but he made it. No bounces. I’ve seen a lot worse.”
The two had a brief exchange after the pitch. Williams said he complimented Usher on his Braves jersey, which featured the familiar script “Atlanta” and tomahawk upside down, a nod to Usher’s “A-Town Down” catchphrase.
“I was like, I might need to look into getting one of those,” Williams said.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
