The San Francisco Giants hosted a “Top Gun” night Aug. 7 in celebration of the movie’s 40th anniversary this year. And the man who threw out the first pitch had fans questioning whether the film’s star Tom Cruise was actually on the mound.
In a video of the ceremonial pitch, shared by the Giants’ home stadium Oracle Park, “Maverick” takes the mound, dressed in his iconic flight jacket and aviator shades. He’s even got Cruise’s signature flashy smile and charisma as he throws the ball to a “Top Gun” fan behind the plate.
Fans weren’t sure what to make of the Maverick lookalike, with several social media users even asking whether the video was generated by AI. Others wondered if they were seeing a young Tom Cruise was on the mound.
“Spitting image,” one Instagram user said.
It turns out that the mystery man is a Maverick impersonator named Jerome LeBlanc, who goes by the “California Tom Cruise.” LeBlanc, who’s been working as the impersonator for about 17 years, makes hundreds of appearances a year.
He told NBC’s local Phoenix, Arizona affiliate 12 News that he started out performing as Maverick when he was 20 years old while pursuing an architecture degree at UCLA.
While LeBlanc has generated quite a bit of popularity as an impersonator, with more than 772,000 followers on TikTok, he’s also an artist who paints.
LeBlanc’s pitch must’ve been a lucky one, as the Giants ended up winning the game 5-2 against the Detroit Tigers.
Kimmy Yam is a reporter for NBC Asian America.
