By now, you've probably heard who's starting on the mound for the A's in Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game as the team hosts the Tampa Bay Rays.
... and it's MC Hammer.
Wednesday is officially Hammertime.@MCHammer will be deliverin' a first pitch that U Can't Touch at the Wild Card game.https://t.co/SEANRfAstM pic.twitter.com/p97wQtd2uG— Oakland A's (@Athletics) October 1, 2019
The rapper and entertainer, an Oakland native, will get throw the ceremonial first pitch for the Green and Gold in front of a hopefully robust crowd of 50,000 screaming fans.Hammer, a.k.a Stanley Burrell, served as the A's clubhouse assistant and batboy from 1973 through 1980. This was around the time he earned his nickname "Little Hammer," due to his resemblance to none other than Baseball Hall of Famer Hammerin' Hank Aaron.
The "MC" portion of his nickname stands for "Master of Ceremonies," coming from when he performed at clubs when the A's were out of town.
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He used to blog on MLB.com, where I found this perfect photo:
Hammer once served as an A's clubhouse assistant and bat boy.
Here's a photo from an old blog he used to have at MLB: pic.twitter.com/SqZmvNn3E9— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) October 1, 2019
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The first pitch of the AL Wild Card Game is set for 5:09 pm PT. Sean Manaea will get the actual start for the A's in the one-and-done showdown.
Guess you could say it's going to be ... wait for it ... legit.
