Hall of Fame sportswriter Thomas Boswell to throw out Nationals Opening Day first pitch

Hall of Fame sportswriter Thomas Boswell, whose columns chronicled the return of baseball to the nation’s capital, the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series run and everything in between, will throw out the ceremonial Opening Day first pitch as the Club begins its 20^th Anniversary celebration on Thursday, March 27. Visit nats.com/February to secure tickets to all Nationals home games with no fees through the end of the month.

“It's my great honor to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day,” Boswell said. “I'd be better suited to write about and perhaps make fun of someone else doing it. But, for a D.C. native who waited 33 years for a team to return to town and then win the World Series six years ago, fantasy-come-true is an understatement. 

“Thanks to the Nats. And to Washington's fans for our rich, fun 50-year ride together.”

Boswell spent more than 50 years as a sportswriter and columnist at The Washington Post and was named the 2025 winner of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award. He will be honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., during this summer’s induction weekend and will be included in an exhibit alongside other writers and broadcasters.

“We are honored to have Tom throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. He’s been a tremendous champion of Major League Baseball in Washington, D.C., and he is truly deserving of this honor,” said Mark D. Lerner, Managing Principal Owner of the Washington Nationals. “We were so happy to see Boz recognized by the Hall of Fame, and there is no better person to help us start our 20^th Anniversary season. My father was such an admirer of his work, and we are all so excited to see him in Cooperstown this summer.”

A native Washingtonian, Boswell is already a member of the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame and Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Pro Chapter Hall of Fame, and his name has graced the walls at Nationals Park since 2015 when he was inducted in the Washington D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. He began his career at The Washington Post in 1969 and covered his first World Series in 1975, going on to work every Fall Classic until 2020.

The Nationals 20^th Anniversary season begins Thursday, March 27, at 4:05 p.m. vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. This season’s celebration includes a lineup of special events, exclusive giveaways, alumni appearances and more. Visit nats.com/NATS20 for more information and to purchase tickets.