Strike one! Taekwondo star hurls acrobatic first pitch in South Korean baseball game

PUBLISHED: 11:09, 21 August 2013 | UPDATED: 11:09, 21 August 2013

A South Korean Taekwondo champion left a stadium of sports fans gasping in awe as she spun through the air for a dramatic first pitch on Saturday.

Tae-Mi, who won the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship in 2007, made her athletic pitch for the Doosan Bears game against SK Wyverns in Seoul.

As the star of the 2011 martial art film The Kick walked away from the pitcher's mound, former Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Seddon appeared to be smiling in disbelief.

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Air time: Tae-Mi cartwheels through the air as she makes a first pitch for the Doosan Bears

The 29-year-old MLB relief pitcher joined the South Korean team, SK Wyverns, at the end of last year.

Tae-Mi's pitch comes a month after rhythmic gymnast Soo-ji Shin wowed the crowds with what was described as one of the most impressive wind-up in the history of baseball.

Leaving one foot on the ground, the petite gymnast twisted her body around in a full flip before straightening and launching the ball.

Her performance appears to have inspired a trend for more daring first pitches, as 23-year-old Tae-Mi proved at the weekend.

The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual in baseball and usually guest of honor is a dignitary or celebrity in attendance at the game, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

Step up: The actress gets ready for her throw

Curve ball: Tae-Mi spins through the air at a Seoul stadium

Twist: The South Korean actress gets ready to land and throw her pitch

Awe-struck: Former MBL player Chris Seddon reacts to the first pitch

Proud: Tae-Mi looks pleased with herself as she leaves the grounds

Video: What a Hoot-ers! Glamour ball-girl's fielding gaffe during baseball game goes viral

Gaffe happened during the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies game
Priscilla Daughtry has spoken of her embarrassment at interrupting play
The Hooters waitress is now getting recognised at work after clip goes viral

By STEVE NOLAN

PUBLISHED: 09:51, 13 March 2013 | UPDATED: 10:42, 13 March 2013

A waitress turned ball-girl was left hiding her face in embarrassment after she mistakenly disrupted a televised baseball game - by fielding a live ball.

A video clip of Priscilla Daughtry picking up the ball and handing it to a young fan in the crowd at the game between Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies in Florida before realising her gaffe has since been viewed thousands of times on the internet.

And now customers at the original Hooters in Clearwater have begun to recognise the embarrassed waitress from the clip.

Embarrassed: Waitress Priscilla Daughtry was left red-faced when she interrupted a televised baseball game by fielding a live ball

Well fielded: Priscilla leaps from her pitch-side chair to stop a low struck ball which she doesn't realise is still in play

Video: Ooops! Hooters girl picks up live baseball

The footage shows Priscilla, dressed in trademark Hooters vest and tiny red shorts, leap from her seat to impressively stop a low struck ball with her glove.

Unwittingly, she picks the ball up and offers it to the crowd, much to the delight of one young fan who gleefully accepts.

It is only when another fan informs her that the ball was still in play when she stops it and several jeers erupt in the crowd, that she realises she has interrupted the game.

Red-faced Priscilla covers her face with her baseball glove and slinks back to her pitch-side chair.

She told Bright House Sports Network: 'As soon as I saw it coming to me I just got anxious and I scooped it right up and went over there to hand it to him (a young fan).

Unaware: Not realising that she has stopped a live play, Prescilla picks up the ball and begins to offer it to the crowd

Boos: Priscilla is still unaware of her error despite several jeers from the Florida crowd

'Obviously, I didn’t know that it was a fair ball still in play until the fan in front of the little boy informed me.”

She added: 'I didn’t really know how to react, so, that’s why I covered my face.'

Miss Daughtry, who works at the original Hooters in Clearwater, said that customers at the restaurant are now identifying her as the girl from the clip.

But Priscilla is not the first Hooters waitress to make such a faux pas - according to the commentators this is the second incident of its kind this spring.

Even Rays manager Joe Madden complimented the waitress for her fielding skills.

Fortunately for Priscilla, her mistake didn't have too much bearing - the game was merely a practice match.

Realisation: One youngster gleefully accepts the ball from Priscilla as other fans start to tell her that she has interrupted the game

Embarrassed: Priscilla slinks back to her pitch-side seat and covers her face with her baseball glove after realising what has happened

Red-faced: Priscilla slinks back to her pitch-side seat and covers her face with her baseball glove after realising what has happened

KATCHING MY I

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Wednesday, 21 August 2013