Clutterbuck Throws Ceremonial Pitch at Mets Game 

Cal Clutterbuck went around the horn on Tuesday night, tossing a baseball back and forth with his daughters Harper and Willow, his son River, and a family friend.  

It sounds like it could be an ordinary late summer night on Long Island, but instead of a neighborhood diamond, the Clutterbucks were doing it big, standing on the dirt at Citi Field. 

Clutterbuck was on hand to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at the New York Mets Hockey Night, alongside New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey and New Jersey Devils forward Erik Haula. The Islanders forward channeled his Nuke LaLoosh and put some heat on his fastball, making sure to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  

“You get the same thrill that you got the first couple of times you went out and played an NHL hockey game, starting with that warm-up feeling,” Clutterbuck said, joking about how his shuffle during the anthem was a hockey habit. “It was great for my kids to be down there with me and this is probably something they’ll remember. It was a great experience and I’m very grateful for it.”

The unforgettable experience started with batting practice, as Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor autographed a baseball for Clutterbuck’s son. The Clutterbuck kids were asking their dad to toss a ball around over the summer, so playing catch was on the mind at a big-league ballpark.

“It's an opportunity that not many people get,” Clutterbuck said. “It’s a nice little family get together. They're tossing the ball around and it’s a memory that they're going to have hopefully for a long time.”

Clutterbuck exchanged jerseys with Mets pitcher Adam Ottavino, who grew up an Islanders fan in Brooklyn, which made for a fitting connection. The Islanders-Rangers-Devils combo also offered a rare ceasefire between the Tri-State rivals, with Clutterbuck tossing a ball with Haula to get warmed up before the first pitch. Clutterbuck said he also spent some time at Munsey Park schoolyard to test the arm before he got to Citi Field.

“I was throwing it around fine and zipping around pretty good, so I'm a little disappointed that one bounced, but what are you going to do.”

Standing on the mound was a harken back to Clutterbuck’s youth, as the Islanders winger was a good ballplayer growing up in Southern Ontario, playing a combo of shortstop, pitcher and occasionally catching. He and the Welland Legion Lancers won the 2000 Ontario Baseball Association single-A-peewee title, with Clutterbuck taking home MVP honors in the tournament.  

In an alternate world, perhaps Clutterbuck standing on a major league field could have been a regular occurrence, though the 35-year-old said he made the right decision, and enjoyed Tuesday night for what it was.  

“Once you get on the field and you see the guys who are doing it for a living, you have to let bygones be bygones,” Clutterbuck said. “It’s definitely a sport that I love and something that I'll never forget, but I think I chose the right sport.”