No joke: This comedian just set a record for first pitches

NEW YORK – Comedian Eitan Levine was living the dream on Wednesday afternoon before his favorite team, the Mets, faced the Orioles at Citi Field and won, 4-3, in exciting walk-off fashion.

There he was on the mound, throwing the ceremonial pitch to Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor. But it wasn’t just any first pitch; it was the 40th first pitch he threw at a professional baseball stadium this year, and it set the Guinness World Record for most ceremonial first pitches thrown in a year.

“I could not be more happy. I'm a huge Mets fan, so the fact that the stars aligned and I got to break the record in one of my favorite buildings in the world means a lot,” Levine said. “This has been a crazy summer of travel, sleeping in airport hotels that were $30 a night, sleeping in my car and driving everywhere. It has been a crazy journey, and I’m super excited to get the record.”

Levine is traveling around the country to raise funds for Make-A-Wish. So far, he has raised $2,500. A childhood cancer survivor, Levine wants to give back to the organization that helped him. As a kid, the foundation helped him meet Mets legend Benny Agbayani and hockey players from the New York Rangers.

“It was so fitting to pick a charity like Make-A-Wish. It’s a charity like this that gives cancer kids a break from the chaos that is medical treatment,” Levine said. “I think we can agree that Make-A-Wish is one of those unifying charities in America we can all get behind.”

Levine found out about the first pitch record from Guinness World Records and thought he could make history.

“This is doable, basically. I’ll just try to get 40,” Levine said to himself.

Levine will not stop at 40. He is scheduled to throw 11 more ceremonial first pitches before the season comes to an end. Next week, his next first pitch will be thrown at Canal Park, where Double-A Akron, a Guardians affiliate, plays. He will also throw at Progressive Field in Cleveland and Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.