There’s some unexpected news coming out of the New York Mets’ camp, and it’s stirring up quite the debate. The Mets had a special guest throw out the first pitch on Thursday—a guest who’s famous for reasons you might not expect. Meet Haliey Welch, better known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl.” She’s a Tennessee native who shot to internet fame after a clip of her answering a rather cheeky question during the Country Music Awards weekend in Nashville went viral.
In the now-infamous clip, Welch was asked what move in the bedroom makes a guy go “crazy.” Her response? “Awh, you gotta hawk … tuah, spit on that thang — you get me?” That line took off on TikTok, and before long, Welch was an internet sensation.
While she initially kept a low profile, she’s since leaned into her newfound fame, even reportedly earning $30,000 for an appearance at a South Florida pool club last month. On that occasion, she fittingly wore a Tua Tagovailoa shirsey, playing off the phonetic similarity of her viral catchphrase.
Hope they go winless the rest of the season https://t.co/0wAdoSZeVy
— Chris Jastrzembski (@Chris_Jast) August 15, 2024
But Thursday was something different. Welch took the mound at Citi Field to throw out the first pitch before the Mets faced off against the Oakland Athletics. The decision to have her as a guest, especially on a day when many of the fans in attendance were young kids from summer camps, didn’t sit well with everyone. Social media lit up with reactions, and not all of them were positive.
One user on X criticized the Mets for inviting Welch to throw the first pitch on a day when the ballpark was filled with young fans, calling the decision “awful” and questioning what the team was thinking. Another user echoed that sentiment, labeling it “pathetic” and “disgusting.” These critics argue that giving Welch a platform legitimizes her viral fame in a way that isn’t appropriate for a family-friendly environment.
However, not everyone was on board with the backlash. Some defended Welch, pointing out that she didn’t ask to go viral and has even used her platform to make charitable donations since becoming famous. It’s a reminder that internet fame can be a double-edged sword—one minute you’re just having fun, and the next, you’re thrust into the spotlight in ways you never imagined.
But if the Mets were hoping Welch’s appearance would bring them some good luck, they were sorely disappointed. Despite jumping out to a 5-0 lead, the Mets squandered it and ended up losing to the A’s, 7-6, in what turned out to be the longest nine-inning game in the pitch-timer era, clocking in at 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Now, some fans are even wondering if Welch might have cursed the 2024 Mets—a theory that’s probably more tongue-in-cheek than serious, but in the world of sports superstition, who knows?
