Victor Espinoza Makes Baseball Card Debut
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Baseball cards and horse racing join in an unlikely marriage this year as Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza can now be found on his own trading card, part of Topps’ First Pitch collection.
The First Pitch series debuted last year featuring celebrities and other notable personalities that tossed the ceremonial first pitch at MLB games across the country in 2015. The collection was immediately popular with baseball fans as ceremonial first pitches are an iconic part of Major League Baseball, with dignitaries, past players and others making public appearances at some of America’s most treasured stadiums. The cards feature a photo of the celebrity wearing a team jersey while making the first pitch.
Espinoza’s card displays the jockey sporting a New York Mets jersey, though he also threw the first pitch at New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers games in 2015, in the midst of a historic season when he piloted American Pharoah to victory in the Belmont Stakes in June. Espinoza became only the 12th jockey and the first in 37 years to capture the Triple Crown.
Check out the full list of names on this year’s First Pitch insert cards below, and get yours at hobby shops, mass retailers or Topps.com.
Celebrity
Team
Occupation
Abby Wambach
New York Mets
Soccer Player
Gabrielle Giffords
New York Mets
Politician
Don Cherry
Toronto Blue Jays
Broadcaster
Mo'ne Davis
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher
Evelyn Jones
Seattle Mariners
Bree Morse
Angels
Miss California
Jordan Spieth
Boston Red Sox
Golfer
Kristaps Porzingis
New York Mets
New York BasketballDraft Pick
Victor Espinoza
New York Mets
Jockey
James Taylor
Boston Red Sox
Singer
Bud Selig
Milwaukee Brewers
Former MLB Commissioner
LeVar Burton
Chicago White Sox
Actor
Hayley Atwell
Kansas City Royals
Actor
Bill Withers
Seattle Mariners
Singer
Carrie Brownstein
Seattle Mariners
Actor
Tony Hawk
San Diego Padres
Skateboarder
IronE Singleton
Miami Marlins
Actor
Rebekah Gregory
Houston Astros
Johnny Knoxville
Los Angeles Dodgers
Actor
Steve Aoki
Los Angeles Dodgers
Musician