John Williams is unquestionably the greatest composer in the history of cinema. The 86-year-old has composed the soundtracks for blockbuster franchises like “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Harry Potter,” as well as classics such as “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jaws,” and “Jurassic Park.”
But much like Darth Vader, Williams turned against his own family and went to the dark side on June 11.
The lifelong Boston Red Sox fan who conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993 donned the uniform of the division rival Baltimore Orioles to throw the first pitch in a game against — *gasp* — the Boston Red Sox.
Williams was in town for a performance at Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. He must have felt uncomfortable being seen in public wearing the jersey of an American League East rival. But it didn’t affect his throwing arm — he lobbed it right over the plate for a strike.
Back in 2012, Williams discussed his lifelong love of the Red Sox in an interview with ESPN:
“My mother was born in Boston and loved Fenway Park all of her life. She lived to be 97 and insisted that she lived that long because she wanted to see the Red Sox win the World Series again. Once they did it in 2004, she felt she could pass on very happily. For me, there is a strong family connection to Boston and anything connected to Boston, which includes Fenway.”
For the 100th anniversary of Boston’s Fenway Park in 2012, Williams composed “Fanfare for Fenway” and performed it at the stadium.
Red Sox players past and present congregate around 2B as John Williams and the Boston pops perform fanfare for Fenway. pic.twitter.com/IB26EHQB
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 20, 2012
The unfathomable image of Williams in an Oriole jersey must have given the Sox the extra push they needed to win. They beat the Orioles 2-0 in 12 innings.
