CLEVELAND (WJW) – Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks arrived in Cleveland to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians‘ home opener Friday evening.
He threw the pitch to Larry Doby Jr., the son of Larry Doby. It marks 75 years since Doby became the first Black player in the American League.
Hanks was accompanied by a remote-controlled Wilson, the volleyball that costarred with him in the 2000 film “Cast Away.”

Hanks voiced the video that announced the club’s name change from Indians to Guardians in July 2021.
“I’ve had Guardians fever since 1977 when I caught my first game in Section 19 of Cleveland’s Lakefront Municipal Stadium,” Hanks said in a news release. “I’m honored to return to Cleveland and Progressive Field for the first home game of the Cleveland Guardians era.”
Hanks, who won Academy Awards for “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump,” started his acting career with the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland.