The Seattle Mariners started Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels with a very special first pitch from their oldest fan. Literally. At 108, Evelyn Jones became the oldest person to ever throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.
It's safe to say she knows her stuff. The diehard Mariners fan has been watching the team since they played their very first game in 1977, when she was 70. For the last 38 years, she's hardly missed a game, her daughter, Kay Vea, told ESPN.
So Saturday was particularly special for the centenarian who was brought out to home base along with her daughter and two of her grandchildren. Decked out in a jersey customized with her name, Jones tossed the first pitch to Mariners' pitcher Felix Hernandez.
She was, of course, rewarded with cheers from the fans. The team's mascot, the Mariner Moose, even presented her with a birthday cake.
"She and my dad watched all sports. She loved the Sonics, she loved the Seahawks but she really loved the Mariners," Vea said. "She and my dad never missed games and she still doesn't, which I think is pretty good for 108.''
The previous record holder for oldest person to throw a first pitch was 105-year-old Agnes McKee, who threw the first pitch at a San Diego Padres game in the summer of 2014.
Jones, a great-great-grandma, still stays active by doing crossword puzzles, watching game shows and, of course, Mariners games. In fact, she takes baseball so seriously that she insists on watching alone at her Woodinville, Washington retirement community to make sure she doesn't have any interruptions.
Most would credit Jones' longevity to diet and exercise. She says she's always eaten fresh, home-baked bread rather than store bought and even used to walk three miles a day until she was in her mid-90s. But when Jones herself was asked about her longevity, her secret was simple: "Keep having birthdays."
Cheeky.
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