Parents Were Infuriated By Mets' Decision To Invite Haliey 'Hawk Tuah' Welch For First Pitch

For a good, family-friendly afternoon at Citi Field, call Hawk Tuah Girl.

The Tennessee native, known for her suggestive viral clip, was invited to the mound in Flushing on Thursday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Mets ahead of their matchup against the A's. 

And no, she did not toss a spitball.

Haliey Welch is her real name, and "Hawk Tuah" is both her nom de 'plume' and onomatopoeia for spittin' on that thang.

READ: Hawk Tuah Reportedly Is Bringing In Five Figures For Public Appearances

Just what the families asked for, right?

(What the ‘Hawk’ Were The Mets Thinking?)

WATCH:

Awkwardness hung over Citi Field as fans were left baffled by the Mets' decision to invite a raunchy figure like Hawk Tuah. For a team that previously invited Grimace to the ballpark and banked on his family-friendly appeal to fans, inviting Welch truly felt out of left field.

The biggest backlash came from parents watching the game, now faced with the challenge of explaining the lore behind "Hawk Tuah" to their kids. 

"We as a society need to do better than this," one parent remarked.

One fan reacted, "Got there too late and didn't see Hawk Tuah girl throwing out the first pitch today but the thought of a bunch of parents needing to explain this made me laugh."

Another said, "Civilization has hit a new low."

WFAN's Sal Licata blasted the organization for inviting Welch to throw the first pitch.

"That is embarrassing … It’s become a circus. I’m so sick and tired of it. Why are the Mets trying to become a clown show?"

Not enough saliva in the world (gross, I know) could extinguish the heated reactions on social media when Hawk Tuah made an appearance at the Mets game. 

As OutKick's Mike Gunzelman previously wrote, Welch became a social media darling overnight, with over $65,000 in "Hawk Tuah 2024" merchandise sold within days of her viral video.

"It's over. See you in 2025," one disappointed Mets fan said, witnessing Hawk Tuah throw out the pitch.

Thursday's scene was a spectacular display that not everything that goes viral on social media is necessarily "of good taste."

(Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

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