Viral ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ Responds to Backlash Over Her First Pitch at Mets Game

Kristen Wong | Aug 16, 2024

Screengrab on Twitter/ @SNY_Mets

Haliey Welch, better known as the viral “Hawk Tuah Girl,” shared a post on social media following backlash over her first pitch at the New York Mets game on Thursday.

Welch threw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Mets' 7-6 loss to the Oakland Athletics, joining a long list of celebrities from Eli Manning to Grimace to do so. Welch, who was introduced to the crowd at Citi Field as a “viral sensation,” celebrated the exciting occasion with a chest bump with her friend afterward. 

Hordes of heated fans immediately took to social media to complain about Welch's honor. Though the pitch itself was innocuous, Welch’s appearance at the game proved highly controversial given that her claim to fame arose from a racy comment she made in a viral video earlier in the summer. 

Welch responded to the heavy backlash with a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) in which she explained why she attended the game in the first place and included a video.

So I guess some of the baseball community wasn’t too happy to see me yesterday 😬

The main reason I went to the game was to spread awareness and donate to America’s vet dogs which pairs dogs with war veterans for a forever home ♾️

Join me in donating to this amazing charity.… pic.twitter.com/MshybcjcgZ

— Haliey Welch (@HalieyWelchX) August 16, 2024

“So I guess some of the baseball community wasn’t too happy to see me yesterday,” Welch wrote.

“The main reason I went to the game was to spread awareness and donate to America’s vet dogs which pairs dogs with war veterans for a forever home.

Join me in donating to this amazing charity. I miss ya already Buddy.”

Baseball fans, conservative bloggers and culture warriors alike were peeved, to say the least, following Welch’s debut appearance at Citi Field. Sal Licata, a broadcaster on New York’s sports radio station WFAN, blasted the franchise for putting Welch on the mound.

“It’s embarrassing,” Licata said. “The product on the field isn’t good enough and you come up with these silly gimmicks that are a laughingstock!”

Mets beat writer Tim Healy wrote on X during the game, “Update: I am not allowed to mention in Newsday who threw out the first pitch for the Mets today.”

After dropping two out of three games at home to the A’s, the Mets (62-59) will look to turn things around in Friday’s game against the Miami Marlins. No word on who is throwing out the first pitch.