Major League Baseball

VIDEO: Army vet throws first pitch like a grenade

Published Oct. 5, 2014 6:20 a.m. ET

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WASHINGTON -- An Army veteran wounded in Iraq made a unique ceremonial first pitch before Game 2 of the NL Division Series, crawling toward the mound and then lobbing the baseball as if it were a grenade.

Retired vet Brian Keaton walked onto the grass before getting on his stomach and crawling several feet at Nationals Park on Saturday. He threw the ball with his left hand from behind the mound and the toss bounced home.

The crowd cheered loudly before San Francisco played Washington.

According to the Nationals, Keaton was wounded in a bomb explosion. The team said he spent 3 1/2 years at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center recovering from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Keaton walked into right field for a bear hug with Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon before the toss. As he left the field, Keaton embraced Nationals manager Matt Williams, pitcher Doug Fister and shortstop Ian Desmond.

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