Gov. Christie, playing at a celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium, proved Monday that he can still catch.
The governor's "Team Boomer," headed by WFAN radio co-hosts "Boomer" Esiason and Craig Carton, eked out a 7-6 win against players from the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team and Yankees alumni at the fourth annual Bombers Boomer Broadway Softball Classic.
Christie, who was a star catcher in high school and is an avid Mets fan, appeared enthusiastic throughout the game, particularly when playing third base in the mostly empty ballpark.
After several fumbles early on, Christie made a crucial catch to end the seventh inning, helping his team to victory.
"We had the game on the line. Ground ball to third, man on first and second. He bobbled it a little bit but made the play and got the out," said Carton, a longtime friend of the governor, who assured reporters Christie had "held his own."
Christie, who was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence last year, wore No. 55 for the game as the Garden State's 55th governor. He said he was happy to have a break from Trenton and that he hoped he wouldn't get injured on the field.
Afterward, he seemed pleased with his performance.
"We won, so it went just fine," said Christie.
He also said he'd rather be at Citi Field — home of his beloved Mets.
Esiason gave Christie an A-plus for efforts, but he joked the governor's execution "probably should be a little bit better. But at the end of the day, he's here for the right reason, and that's all I care about," he said.
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He also heaped praise on the governor for participating in the game, which he estimated had raised between $30,000 and $40,000 for cystic fibrosis research.
