It was a moment 59 years in the making.

Fifty-nine years is how long 81-year-old Katie Hager has been a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, and the moment that enduring passion helped create was her chance to throw out the opening pitch at the Norfolk Tides’ game on Thursday.

The Tides are the Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles.

Hager, who was raised in Chuckatuck and lived about 40 years in Windsor, went into the opening pitch with a plan, and she followed it with precision.

Taking the mound, “I’m going to show them my form because I know what it’s supposed to look like,” she said, reliving the plan on Saturday. “The fact that I can’t execute is another thing.”

She stared down Tides pitcher Tyler Wilson, who was serving as catcher, and raised her leg as if she were about to unleash a throw. Then she abruptly stopped.

“I shook my head and walked off the mound and walked towards (Wilson),” she said, effectively communicating a “just kidding” to the crowd of spectators, which drew the laughter she intended it to.

She stepped on the grass in front of the mound and tossed the ball to Wilson, prompting cheers.

Describing what the experience was like, Hager said, “Fun. Lots of fun.”

“It was a very exciting feeling; I wasn’t real nervous, I really wasn’t,” she said. “I was very excited and very honored to be doing that.”

“It’s one of those things that happens in your lifetime that you certainly never expect to happen,” she said.

It came about thanks to Chris Bresnahan, who she said keeps stats for the Tides.

She had first met Bresnahan and his wife, Janet, at Court House Café in Chesapeake.

“I made no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of the Baltimore Orioles,” she said.

A friendship with the couple was born, and she went to a couple of Tides games last season as a result.

Hager said Bresnahan was interested in the fact that she had been an Orioles fan for so long, and this May, he checked with her to see when her birthday was. Finding out that it is June 21, he arranged for her pitch to come near that time.

“He just did this for her because he knows what an avid, enthusiastic Orioles fans she is,” said Hager’s daughter, Beth Begley, who was among those in the crowd on Thursday.

In describing her favorite part of the event, Hager said “seeing the support of my friends.”

She estimated that 25 to 30 of her friends came, some as far as Richmond and some who had no interest in baseball and did not plan to stay for the game but bought tickets because they wanted to see her big moment.

There were also friends and family from Louisiana, Washington D.C., Florida, and Maryland who paid money to utilize an online service that streamed the Tides game and the opening pitch.

While waiting in front of the Tides dugout before her throw, she saw some players and decided to greet some, noting that at her age, “you don’t totally lose your filter of what you say, but you certainly don’t back off from something that you’re that close to.”

Very familiar with some of the Tides players who have been with the Orioles, she greeted Henry Urrutia and had a conversation with Tyler Wilson, who has played for Baltimore this season.

“I wanted to go over and congratulate him and tell him I hope he goes back soon,” she said.

After the pitch, she chatted briefly with Tides manager Ron Johnson to compliment him.

“I’m impressed that Ron Johnson can have such a winning team,” she said, after noting the reality of minor league ball is that standout players can be called up to the next level at any moment.

“He was very nice,” Hager said. “I wanted to shake his hand, but he said, ‘No, darling, I want to give you a hug.’”

Though she had to leave before the game ended, the Tides concluded the special night appropriately with a 4-3 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

“It was a wonderful evening for me, it really was,” Hager said.