Holocaust survivor throws first pitch for 100th birthday at Rays-Yankees game

Celebrating her 100th birthday, Holocaust survivor Helen Kahan threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Tropicana Field on Friday before the Tampa Bay Rays faced the New York Yankees.

Kahan delivered the first pitch as part of a partnership between the Rays and the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, where Kahan has volunteered her time through the years.

She told Spectrum News that her preparation for Friday was the first time she'd thrown a pitch in her century of life.

“The more I do, I practice here, the more I’m better,” Kahan said. “ I did not have time to do it but now I’m doing it."

Born in Romania, Kahan and her family were taken to the Auschwitz death camp, where the rest of her family was killed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Holocaust survivor throws first pitch for 100th birthday at Rays game