On one side of the country a ceremonial first pitch flew so far off track it hit a Red Sox cameraman in the groin and instantly became one of the worst — and most hilarious — in history.

On the West Coast, Lakers veteran Corey Brewer was lining up for his first pitch at the Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Thankfully for Brewer, it went a little better.

“I was just like, ‘Get it across the plate.’ I didn’t want to throw it in the dirt, I didn’t want to throw it wide,” he said. “I just wanted to throw it across the plate.”

He didn’t practice, he said. Didn’t have to.

“It was just normal for me because I grew up playing baseball a lot as a kid,” he said.

Brewer brought his two sons, ages 8 and 3, to the game. They were especially excited to meet Yasiel Puig — whose walk-off double lifted the Dodgers to a win over the White Sox. And as for advice? They’re not quite at that age yet.

“They were just happy to be there,” he said.

Courtesy of Corey Brewer

The 11-year NBA veteran was traded to the Lakers from Houston in February, meaning he missed the playoffs after two consecutive appearances with the Rockets. Like most NBA players, he feels like the offseason gives new hope to a Lakers team that won only 26 games last season. And that includes the addition of rookie guard Lonzo Ball.

“He’s a really smart kid,” Brewer said. “The best thing about him is he makes the right pass, he makes all the right plays. Even when he was playing badly in the first game of the Summer League, he was making all of the right plays. It just didn’t go right.”

He has not met the famous LaVar Ball, he said. “That’s going to be interesting,” he said. “He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, he seems like he loves his kid.”

As for advice for the rookie or anyone else who gets a chance to throw a first pitch, it’s simple: don’t overthink the whole thing.

“Just try to throw it across the plate,” he said. “I think when people start thinking about is when they start throwing it in the dirt or (to the side).”

That being said, he did feel a lot of relief when he saw his own pitch sail across the plate.

“I didn’t have to worry about nobody making fun of me,” he said. “Just, hey, I did it.”

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