The intern credited with helping to save the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords threw the first pitch at Tuesday’s Nationals game.

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Daniel Hernandez came to the game not just as a hero but a pillar of the gay community. The annual "night out" at Nats park celebrates the gay community, and Hernandez was there to start it with his pitch.

‘This is probably the most nerve-wracking thing I've done in a while,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez had been an intern at Gifford’s office for less than a week at the time of the shooting. He applied pressure to the wound on her forehead right after she had been shot and held the congresswoman upright against his own body so she wouldn’t choke on her own blood, AZ Central reported.

“This is gonna go away soon. And I think realizing that, and doing what you can to help others is the important part,” Hernandez said Tuesday.

He threw the first pitch for the seventh annual "night out" at Nats Park. An estimated 3,400 people came to the event, one of the largest pro-gay sporting events in the country.

“We don't get very often to come someplace where the majority of the people are like you, so its very nice to have a night out where it feels like that,” said Jeffrey Levensaler of Arlington.

“I hate to say it but in D.C. visibility and numbers make a difference in every aspect of culture,” said J.C. Cummings, who lives in the District.