"I f****ng love this man" "Look at him go!" - MLB fans react to Ghost’s Papa Emeritus IV throwing first pitch ahead of Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians

Guaranteed Rate Field welcomed a ghost when the Chicago White Sox hosted the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night.

Well, not literally, but when a mysterious figure in a pinstriped White Sox jersey climbed up to the mound, few may have thought otherwise.

Turns out, it was Papa Emeritus IV (real name Tobias Forge), the band leader of Swedish hard rock/heavy metal band Ghost.

"See Ghost's Papa Emeritus IV throw the first pitch at the White Sox MLB game" - revolvermag

Out on the "Impera" tour right now headlining arenas around the country, Ghost performed in Peoria, Illinois, on Wednesday. With a day off on Thursday, it was the perfect opportunity for Forge and his team to visit the White Sox ballpark.

Forge lofted a ball from the mound to kickstart proceedings on Thursday.

"Ghost frontman Papa Emeritus IV, appearing in full makeup, threw out the first pitch at the Chicago White Sox game on Thursday night" - CONSEQUENCE

His delivery wasn’t close to a strike, but at least it was far better than this infamous toss by 50 Cent. It’s been over eight years, but it never gets old.

"May 27, 2014: @50cent throws one of the worst first pitches of all-time." - This Day In Sports Clips

Remember when Conor McGregor tried channeling his inner Clayton Kershaw? Well, Forge did a better job than the former “champ-champ” in this regard.

"50 cent has arguably the worst first pitch in MLB history...Conor McGregor: hold my beer" - TodayInSports Co.

As exciting as all of this was for Forge, it was perhaps an even bigger deal for Liam Hendriks. The White Sox All-Star closer is a big fan of Ghost:

Cleveland Guardians beat Chicago White Sox to edge closer to AL Central title

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Thursday night for a three-game series sweep.

2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked none in 7 2/3 innings. In doing so, he earned his fourth straight win.

Gavin Sheets homered for the White Sox in the eighth. Right-hander Johnny Cueto allowed four runs, three earned, and eight hits in six innings in what turned out to be his third straight loss.

The Guardians opened a seven-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central with its 15th win in 18 games. Cleveland can now clinch the division title as early as Sunday. If successful, it will be the franchise’s first since 2018.

For more news and updates, go to the Sportskeeda Baseball page.