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KANSAS CITY, MO. — Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles threw out the first pitch on his 69th birthday and 150 Latter-day Saint missionaries sang the national anthem before Tuesday's Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox in Kansas City, Missouri.
The left-handed Elder Stevenson did his best impersonation of Royals Hall of Fame lefthanders Paul Splittorff and Larry Gura or current Royal All-Star Cole Ragans. He used a classic high leg kick to deliver the ceremonial first pitch to Jeremy Guthrie.
Guthrie, a former Latter-day Saint mission president, won a World Series game as a pitcher for the Royals in 2014.
Elder Stevenson and Guthrie joined missionaries from the Missouri Independence Mission for the Royals' JustServe Night. As they sang the national anthem, those serving as American Sign Language missionaries signed the words, according to a news release.
"It was a very special evening to be with local community and interfaith leaders, along with over 2,000 Latter-day Saints and missionaries," Elder Stevenson said in the release. "This underscores the importance of JustServe and communities coming together to help others. I was especially grateful for the warm birthday wishes from everyone."
Missouri and Kansas Latter-day Saints held a tailgate event in the Kauffman Stadium parking lot more than two hours before the game. They wore JustServe shirts to create awareness of the Church of Jesus Christ app that matches volunteers with service opportunities across the world, according to the Kansas City Missouri Stake Facebook page.
The Latter-day Saints also collected donations for "Giving the Basics," a nonprofit in Kansas City that provides basic hygiene products to people in need, the news release said.
The Royals wished Elder Stevenson a happy birthday. His wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, surprised him with a birthday cake decorated with baseball images.
Guthrie pitched for five major league teams, winning 91 games in 13 seasons. He and his wife, Jenny, led the church's Texas Houston South Mission from 2018–21.
The Royals are 64-52 and would make the American League playoffs if the season ended now. They have the second-best run differential in the league and third-best in baseball. Advanced statistics suggest they actually are better than their record indicates, according to the MLB app.
The Royals came back from an early deficit to tie Tuesday's game at 3, but a second comeback fell short and the Red Sox won, 6-5.
"There is such an energy in Kansas City these days for the success of the 2024 team," Guthrie told the church's Newsroom website. "It brought back fond memories to see the missionaries singing the national anthem on the field, and it was all topped off by having an apostle of the Lord, Elder Gary Stevenson, be there to throw the first pitch."
A Latter-day Saint Family Night at a Royals game is an annual event. In 2016, Tammy Reid joined more than 4,000 church members and threw the ceremonial first pitch to her husband, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, for the church's family night at a game.
