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Red Sox photographer gets hit by pitch in worst possible place

A ceremonial first pitch tossed at Fenway Park went painfully awry for a local photographer standing behind home plate.
/ Source: TODAY

Juuuuuust a bit outside.

A photographer was thunked in the groin by a wild ceremonial first pitch tossed by a high school baseball player at Boston's Fenway Park on Wednesday.

Ceremonial pitcher Jordan Leandre's big moment on the mound ended up like something out of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Ceremonial catcher Mike Andrews, of the 1967 Red Sox, never had a chance as the young cancer survivor's fastball sailed wide and struck photographer Tony Capobianco in the stugots.

Ever the pro, Capobianco captured a photo of the teeth-gritting moment right before impact.

Heightening the hilarity was the public address announcer, who urged Leandre to "fire it in there" without knowing exactly where "there" ultimately meant.

Leandre couldn't help but grimace after the ball found its target. Thankfully, Capobianco maintained a sense of humor about the errant beanball.

There have been plenty of first pitch botch-jobs over the years, including by 50 Cent, Carly Rae Jepsen and Snoop Dogg.

But Leandre's was surprising because the high school junior is a pitcher on the baseball team.

The 17-year-old is also no stranger to Fenway Park. As a child, he survived a bout with Ewing's sarcoma in his right thigh.

In 2004, when he was 4, he sang the national anthem at Fenway amid his battle with the disease.

He also ran the bases in 2007 in front of a roaring Fenway crowd cheering his recovery, which was detailed in a heartwarming video by the Jimmy Fund.

Follow TODAY.com writer Scott Stump on Twitter.