MLB Bettor Makes A Fortune After Longshot First Pitch Wager Hits

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It didn’t take long for states around America to capitalize on the new revenue opportunity they had at their disposal after the landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that gave them to chance to legalize sports betting.

As things currently stand, the majority of states have given people the green light to wager on games within their borders, and in the vast majority of cases, you have plenty of options to pick from when it comes to figuring out exactly how to try to win some money.

Many people are perfectly content with sticking to the spread or moneyline, but there are also a ton of less conventional routes seemingly designed with True Degenerates in mind.

That includes the “First Basket” bets that allowed a few NBA fans to walk away with some truly staggering sums over the course of the previous season by successfully predicting which player would open up the scoring and the exact manner in which they posted the bucket.

A number of sportsbooks offer MLB fans the chance to do something similar with the “First Pitch” bets that (as you can probably guess by the name) challenge you to guess what’s going to unfold after the pitcher throws the ball toward home plate to open up the top of the first inning.

Going with “Ball” or “Strike” is usually your best bet based on how the typical at-bat goes, but you’re also going to get some relatively modest odds compared to what’s usually offered for some less likely options.

Prior to Monday night’s showdown between the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks, a self-described “Professional Sports Gambling Consultant” threw down $1,000 on FanDuel in the hopes of winning $33,000 if the first batter to step up to the plate for St. Louis could hit a single on the first pitch Ryne Nelson tossed his way.

It’s safe to assume they were very thrilled to see Cardinals DH Brendan Donovan do exactly that when everything was said and done.

Must be nice.