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The skills that helped him get selected as the first Young & Free Maine Spokester back in 2011 helped him to win "an opportunity of a lifetime." Seth Poplaski, who served as the Young & Free Maine Spokester from July 2011 - June 2012, and now works at Maine State CU, won a contest on social media last week, and his prize was throwing out the first pitch at the Red Sox game on Saturday, August 15, at Fenway Park.
Poplaski's journey to the mound at Fenway Park came about through a social media competition the Red Sox held last week. For the contest, fans were asked to post pictures of their best windups. The person who posted the best image would get to throw out the first pitch during Saturday's game. Poplaski, who gained fame posting quirky and entertaining videos and blogs at younfreemaine.com, leveraged the cuteness factor of his 9-month-old daughter, Evie. After setting Evie up on a blanket wearing a pink Sox sweater and holding a much-too-big-for-her catcher's mitt, Poplaski stood a few feet away and wound up for a pretend delivery. The photo included the caption, "A great pitcher is nothing without a great catcher by his side!"
Poplaski shared the submission with the Sox Tuesday morning, and learned Wednesday afternoon he won a trip to the game and the privilege of throwing the first pitch. Fearful of bouncing the ball to home plate, Poplaski got up early on Saturday morning to practice. It paid off, as he threw a perfect strike to home plate.
By the way, the Red Sox got the win Saturday in a 22-10 slugfest against the Seattle Mariners.
Resources:
Bangor Daily News article on Poplaski's first pitch experience