Rory McIlroy throws out first pitch, doesn’t completely embarrass himself

Throwing a baseball in front of 35,000 people is tough under any circumstances. But if you're a kid from Northern Ireland who never even played the doggone game, well, it gets that much trickier, yes? So give Rory McIlroy credit: the kid came through at a Giants game on Tuesday night, as you can see.

McIlroy was also the subject of a bobblehead promotion for "Irish Heritage Night." (What, St. Patrick's Day and Red Sox Opening day aren't enough?)

During his press conference on Tuesday, McIlroy acknowledged more nervousness about the pitch than the tournament, at least for the moment. "I definitely would rather get booed at a baseball game than on a golf course," he laughed. "But, no, I've been throwing a few golf balls on the course, threw a few medicine balls around last night at the gym.
It will be the first experience for me ... I don't know whether to play it conservatively and just lob it into his hand or go for the fast one. I'm not sure."

The pitch was apparently high and wide, which is more than you could say for McIlroy's play last year in the U.S. Open. Better luck with the sticks, Rory.