Saratogians Take the Mound at Yankee Stadium for First Pitch Honors

THE BRONX — Saratoga sent two of its most accomplished sports stars to The Bronx last week to throw out first pitches at Yankee Stadium.

On Wednesday night, Ballston Spa native and pro softball player Ana Gold not only tossed a heater to Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra, she also joined the YES Network broadcast booth for a quick chat.

“Ana, you threw out the first pitch and really brought it, man,” said Michael Kay, the Yankees’ longtime play-by-play broadcaster.

“I had to,” Gold replied. “Gotta show ‘em what us girls got.”

Gold told Kay that she grew up a Yankees fan.

“Born and raised, Saratoga, New York,” she said. “Yankee fan my whole life. So, this is awesome.”

Gold received Rookie of the Year honors from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) after its inaugural season in 2025. She was also named to the league’s All-Defensive Team as a corner infielder.

Then on Thursday afternoon, Saratoga Springs native Cherie DeVaux, who recently became the first female trainer in history to win the Kentucky Derby, threw out the first pitch alongside Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz.

The duo wore Yankees jerseys with number 71 on their backs to honor Elmer Rodriguez, a Yankees pitching prospect who recently made his big-league debut and just happens to be Ortiz’s cousin.

According to the New York Post, Rodriguez watched his cousin compete in the Derby and was “more nervous watching that race than [in] my debut. I don’t know why. I started crying,” he said.