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Bernie Sanders Flashed Some Serious Leather On The Pitcher’s Mound In A Video To Celebrate His 82nd Birthday

Bernie Sanders turned 82 years old today. Happy birthday, Bernie. 82 sounds old because, well, it is. But age is just number when you’re still throwing heat and flashing serious leather on the pitchers mound.

“Happy Birthday Bernie!! Best husband, father and grandfather over all these years!” Bernie’s wife Jane tweeted on Friday, along with a video of Sanders playing baseball with, I assume, his grandkid. During the windup, Bernie does his best Hideo Nomo homage before throwing the ball. His grandson hits an off-balance line drive — right into Bernie’s glove. That’s some impressive reflexes for someone who doesn’t claim to be the “perfect physical specimen.”

Bernie already has one offer from a minor league team:

And the appreciation of his favorite band, Ratboys:

If the New York Mets signed Bernie today, he would be the third best pitcher on the roster.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by Sanders’ athleticism: he was track star in high school. “I was a very good athlete,” he told CNN in 2016. “I was pretty good basketball player. My elementary school in Brooklyn won the borough championship — hardly worth mentioning, but we did. And, yes, I did take third place in the New York City indoor one-mile race. I was a very good long-distance runner — not a great runner, but I was captain of my cross-country team, won a lot of cross-country meets and certainly won a lot of races.”

Bernie, 82, should challenge Mitch McConnell, 81, to a race.