Knicks' Julius Randle Roasts 'Disgusted' Stephen A Smith For Yankees 1st Pitch
It's safe to say that the New York Yankees dugout won't be making a call to Bristol to anytime soon.
ESPN analyst and noted New York Knicks fan/critic Stephen A. Smith temporarily shifted his rooting interests on Thursday night, donning pinstripes to support the final stages of the New York Yankees' 2023 season. Smith threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium prior to the team's showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays clad in a Derek Jeter jersey.
Like Sabrina Ionescu before him, Smith eschewed tradition and attempted to reach home plate from the pitcher's mound. While his throw went down the middle, it was an undeniable ball, one that bounced to the catcher before crossing the plate and caused him to sheepishly smile as he left the hill later occupied by Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Smith, well-known for using his platforms at the Worldwide Leader as soapboxes to convince basketball's finest available stars to join the Knicks, later joined the Yankees' broadcast team calling the game for YES Network. In the booth, Smith remained embarrassed but was simply glad that his own throw was a perfect strike compared to the terrible tosses of 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.
"I was warming up down there, I was throwing strikes from 60 feet away!" Smith claimed to YES' Michael Kay and Paul O'Neill. "I got on that mound (for the real pitch) and (home plate) looked like it was a mile away. I said 'what the hell am I doing here?' ... There's no excuse, there's no excuse, it was a choke job."
Smith was roundly roasted for his opening throw in the aftermath. Knicks All-Star Julius Randle dealt one of the coldest responses, tagging Smith in his Instagram story with a message of "I see why (you're) a commentator lol." Snoop Dogg, who threw one of the more infamous first pitches in recent memory before a 2016 San Diego Padres game, chimed in on the Friday edition of "First Take," likening the throw to a "bounce pass."
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Other critics included entertainer Steve Harvey and Smith's own sister Carmen. who blamed "bubble guts" induced by a Yankee Stadium hot dog for ball one. Smith will also garner little sympathy from the baseball community, as fans have criticized Smith for his indifference toward the American pastime.
Fortunately for the Yankees, Cole did not follow Smith's example, allowing only one run and two hits over eight innings of work in a Cy Young Award-case bolstering effort that ended in a 5-3 victory over Toronto. The Bronx Bombers are facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in their final, three-game homestand of the regular season this weekend.
