Nationals Pitcher Sean Doolittle Reads Story Time At Arlington Library

Arlington VA

19 June, 2022

3:48 PM

Description

ARLINGTON, VA — Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle read a picture book about baseball to dozens of children and their parents at Arlington Central Library on Saturday to kick off the library system's Summer Reading program. Doolittle, who was the go-to relief pitcher during the Nationals' 2019 World Series season, picked a picture book about baseball to read to the children in the library's auditorium. The book, "Baseball Is…" by Louise Borden and illustrated by Raul Colón, explains the basics of baseball and salutes the giants of professional baseball like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente. The left-handed fan favorite was introduced by Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh who remembered attending a baseball game as a child at the old Griffith Stadium in Northwest D.C. in 1961. "Welcome Nats fans, welcome summer readers, welcome fans of Arlington Public Library. Baseball and books. It really doesn't get any better than that," Kresh said. "We're going to have a terrific summer reading." Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle read the book "Baseball Is…" by Louise Borden and illustrated by Raul Colón to dozens of children on Saturday at Arlington's Central Library. (Mark Hand/Patch) Between June 1 and Sept. 1, any person who reads for 30 days and checks off the boxes on the Arlington Public Library app will be eligible to receive Washington Nationals tickets to games in August and September. Super-readers will be eligible to receive pool passes to the Long Branch Aquatics & Fitness Center in Arlington. Participants in the summer reading program also can enter a raffle for family passes to the Baltimore Aquarium "because our theme is Oceans of Possibilities," Kresh said. After reading the picture book, Doolittle took questions from children in the audience. They learned that Doolittle throws his fastball more than 80 percent of the time, played first base as a professional before he switched to pitching, and became an avid reader as a child when his family would take trips to the Jersey Shore. Children and their parents then stood in line to get their baseballs, baseball cards and game programs signed by Doolittle, who played baseball at the University of Virginia before getting drafted out of college in the first round by the Oakland Athletics. Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle speaks with a child on Saturday after reading a book to kick off Arlington Public Library's Summer Reading program. (Mark Hand/Patch) After story time in Arlington, Doolittle, who is currently on the injured list, headed to Nationals Park in D.C. where he and the rest of the team honored former National Ryan Zimmerman, who had his number retired by the franchise during a pre-game ceremony.