Performer's ceremonial first pitch wows SD fans

It used to be that people invited to throw out ceremonial first pitches were either presidents, popular retired players or someone with at least a vague connection to sports.

That criterion has obviously been shelved over the years in favor of entertainment value. It was no more evident than in April when a robot took the mound in Philadelphia to do the honors.

Last night, the San Diego Padres made an invitation with even more tenuous and obscure links to baseball when the team asked Vegas performers from Cirque du Soleil to throw out the first pitch.

It was certainly a bizarre sight - but the ensuing pitch was pretty amazing. Check out the video of Gabryel Nogueira da Silva doing a backflip, then throwing a strike to home plate: