The ceremonial first pitch has long been a way to add fanfare to All-Star baseball games, and it seems presidents are just right for the job.

The first ceremonial first pitch occurred in Japan in 1908, thrown by then Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu. The tradition took root in the United States two years later when President William H. Taft pitched at the Washington Senators' opening day game.

All-Star Presidents

President Barack Obama is set to throw the first pitch at the upcoming July 14 All-Star game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. He will succeed former presidential All-Star pitchers:

• John F. Kennedy (Washington, 1962)
• Richard Nixon (Cincinnati, 1970)
• Gerald Ford (Philadelphia, 1976)

True to his roots, Obama is a fan of the Chicago White Sox. And this won't be his first time on the mound. During his time as a U.S. senator, he threw the first pitch at a White Sox-Angels game in 2005.

An American Tradition

Although only three presidents have pitched at All-Star games, every president since Taft has thrown the ceremonial first pitch, many more than once. Dwight Eisenhower pitched a whopping eight times.

While presidents are frequently invited to pitch at baseball games, they usually do not attend during a time of crisis. Franklin D. Roosevelt declined all invitations during World War II, and opening day itself was rescheduled due to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Crowds aren't always happy to see politicians pitch. George W. Bush suffered an embarrassment in March 2008 when he was booed while walking to the mound at the Washington Nationals season opener.

Regardless of their approval ratings, most presidents aren't exactly superstars on the baseball field. Bill Clinton's first pitch at an Orioles game in 1993 marked the first presidential throw to successfully reach the catcher.