Veteran Madison rapper Jerome Hunt, a.k.a. Romey, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Milwaukee Brewers Interleague game versus the New York Yankees tonight at American Family Field.
“I’m just excited about it. They are going to put me up on the big screen and let me get in the dugout to meet some of the players,” Romey tells Madison365. “I’m working on a song called ‘Home Team’ for them, too. I just feel really blessed right now.”
The Milwaukee Brewers are returning to American Family Field tonight for an East Coast focused homestand. This will be the Yankees’ first appearance in Milwaukee since 2014. It’s been a great year for Romey, having already performed at the halftime of a Milwaukee Bucks game and headlined at Summerfest on July 2. He also released his single “Fear the Deer (Championship Anthem),” a tribute to the Milwaukee Bucks.
(Photo courtesy of Romey)
“I’m super excited, man. I got the little tour of the facility yesterday. They made me a custom jersey with my name on it and number eight on it,” Romey says. “I got a chance to be there at the stadium and really just get a feel for everything. I can’t wait to throw out this first pitch. I’m really just letting it all soak in right now.”
Romey used to live right off the I-94 highway close to the stadium and has fond memories of being a Milwaukee Brewer fan as a kid. “I used to ride my bike over there a lot before I was driving when I was like 14 and 15 years old and wouldn’t even go into the stadium … I Just wanted to be over there and around the atmosphere. And now, to just be on the mound and to be honored at the stadium and to throw out the first pitch in front of all those people is amazing. Those baseball crowds are huge.”
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Ceremonial first pitches at major league baseball games have sometimes had some awkwardness with pitches going way high or way low or bouncing to home plate. However, Romey has a little baseball experience to fall back on.
“I played varsity,” Romey says. “I pitched when I was at Washington High School [in Milwaukee.] By the time of my sophomore year, I was [playing] varsity basketball, tennis and baseball. I was a left-hander. I pitched and played first base and I batted third.
“Everybody has been telling me, ‘Don’t do the 50 Cent’,’ Romey adds, referencing the rapper’s ceremonial first pitch with the New York Mets that missed home plate wide left by about 15 feet. “So I have to get that out of my psyche.”
So no knuckleballs then?
“That’s funny because one of the workers at the Brewers pro shop suggested that I throw a knuckleball or a curveball and I was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ It’s been so long since I’ve been able to accurately even do those types of pitches. That would not go good,” Romey says. “I told him it would either be a changeup or it will be a fastball.”
Adrian Houser (6-9, 4.61 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 65 strikeouts) will be the starting pitcher for the Brewers tonight against the Yankees’ Frankie Montas (5-12, 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 140 strikeouts). Game starts at 7:10 p.m.
“This whole year has been unreal from performing at the Bucks halftime to headlining at Summerfest for the first time,” Romey says. “Now I’m being honored and throwing out the first pitch at the Brewers game. I’m speechless.”
