The KT Wiz kicked off its home opener with an amazing sight while honoring the memory of Andy Marte, who played the past two seasons for the Korea Baseball Organization team before being killed at age 33 in a car crash in the Dominican Republic in January.
The ceremonial first pitch Tuesday was delivered by a drone, simulating a ball coming out of the side of the scoreboard consistent with the trajectory of it being hit off the bat of Marte, the former Major League infielder.
The world’s first “baseball drone” was then flown — zoomed, rather — toward home plate as the team’s mascot swung and missed at the pitch “sent from heaven.”
But this scene it set for those mourning the death of Marte was one that especially wowed those in the stands and in the broadcast booth.
The flying camera drone captured the footage of its flight path from behind the scoreboard all the way to home plate.
Here’s the video of the entire ceremony, which starts with recalling how the ceremonial first pitches for the 2015 and 2016 home openers were balls of fire before Mariah Carey’s “Hero” starts playing.
Want to see that once more from the field level?
From a fan’s perspective, here’s the view from the upper deck
