Mets fans spit on the team’s decision to have Haliey Welch — also known as the “Hawk Tuah” girl — throw out the first pitch before Thursday’s painful 7-6 loss to the A’s.
Welch became a viral sensation earlier this year when the 22-year-old Tennessee native described a sexual act in a rather explicit manner.
“The Yankees have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto breaking records. (Babe) Ruth, (Mickey) Mantle, (Lou), Gehrig and the Mets have Grimace and now ‘Hawk Tuah.’ Come on, bro, I can’t take it, I cannot take it anymore” WFAN’s Sal Licata, a noted Mets fan, ranted during his and Brandon Tierney’s show Thursday. “It’s ridiculous. And then you wonder why fans get so ticked off and upset. It’s embarrassing.
“Is it the biggest deal in the world? No, absolutely. Does it mean anything on the field? No. But that’s the problem. The problem on the field isn’t good enough and you come up with these silly gimmicks that are laughing stock. It’s a joke. ‘Hawk Tuah.’”
The Mets previously went viral this year for a wholesome reason, when they had Grimace, the large, purple friend of Ronald McDonald, throw out the first pitch before a game.
This first pitch, though, struck a chord with some since Welch became famous for her not-so-wholesome response to the question: “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
“You got to give him that ‘Hawk Tuah’ and spit on that thang, you get me?” she said in an interview that has generated 6.8 million views as of Friday morning.
Welch has since revealed that she quit her job “to go travel,” leaning into her internet celebrity status, and that travel had her standing on the Citi Field mound throwing a first pitch to a friend.
Multiple X users slammed the Mets for having Welch being promoted before an afternoon summer weekday game, which can include more children than usual.
“On a day where the stadium is full of summer camp kids, this is who was picked to throw the first pitch?!?,” user @DTM_Woodworks tweeted. “Disgusting behavior and needs to be addressed and someone needs to be fired. I will not support this type of activity from a sports franchise.”
Another commented: “I usually find these types of things entertaining, but to have her come in during an afternoon game over the summer where thousands of camp kids are in this stadium?… Not great… 🤦 Someone did not plan that very well… 🤷♀️.”
Some focused on the potential awkwardness of having to explain to a child who Welch is and why exactly she became famous.
“Try explaining who this is to your kids, Mets fans! Sorry. WOW! ‘Who is this girl Mom/Dad & what does she do?’ —— The decision maker to have her throw the 1st pitch should be fired. Awful,” an X user wrote.
Unlike Grimace’s first pitch, which galvanized the Mets back into the playoff race, the “Hawk Tuah” era began with the Mets blowing a 5-0 lead to one of the worst teams in baseball.
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