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Stephen A. Smith Comically Bounced His First Pitch at Yankees Game and Fans Had Jokes

The ESPN analyst has been critical of baseball recently, too.

Madison Williams

Stephen A. Smith Comically Bounced His First Pitch at Yankees Game and Fans Had Jokes
Stephen A. Smith Comically Bounced His First Pitch at Yankees Game and Fans Had Jokes /
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ESPN analyst Stephen. A Smith took the mound to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees–Blue Jays game in New York on Thursday night, and while it wasn’t the worst entry into first pitch lore, it certainly wasn’t the best—and fans were quick to poke fun at him for it.

The First Take star’s effort didn’t reach home plate, as the ball bounced about 10 feet before it, one-hopping into the catcher’s glove. Yankee Stadium erupted in boos at the sight.

Smith looked pretty disappointed after his short pitch, but he added to the discourse on social media by posting a video of it to X, formerly known as Twitter, to note that “it was a changeup!”

Smith has recently been critical of baseball in general, making MLB fans heated about any baseball related takes he may give. Smith specifically gave a rant about Shohei Ohtani the other day that made fans upset.

Because the first pitch didn’t go as planned for Smith, fans were quick to jump on the analyst for his approach. Here’s some of the best social media reaction.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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