- Stephen A. Smith threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Yankees vs. Blue Jays
- The host of ESPN’s ‘First Take’ was seen dancing before taking the mound
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Stephen A. Smith left the mound to cuff Thursday evening after throwing the first pitch at Yankee Stadium and it bouncing into the catcher’s glove.
The host of ESPN’s ‘First Take’ was seen dancing before heading out to throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Yankees-Blue Jays game.
But Smith’s attempt fell well off the mark and the announcer bowed his head in disappointment as the crowd made their feelings known.
“I was disgusted with myself, man,” Stephen A. said YES Network reporting from the Bronx after one of the station’s play-by-play announcers asked him if he was “ticked off” by the way he was throwing.
‘Let me tell you something… I was warming up… I was throwing strikes from 60 feet away and I stepped on that mound and it looked like it was a mile away… I said, ‘What am I in for heaven’s sake?’ Am I doing here?”
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Thursday evening
Smith left the mound to cuff after his fumble shortly before Yankees vs. Blue Jays ended up
“I said, ‘What the hell am I doing here’ and then you know, it’s… I mean, there’s no excuse. It was a choke job. I can do better than that. It was a choking job and Stephen A. choked a little… and I just did that…
‘It was straight, but damn!’
Before his pitch, Stephen A. shared a video of himself standing next to the Yankees dugout, warming up as he prepared for his big moment of the night.
“How are you feeling,” the cameraman asked. “A little nervous,” said Stephen A.
“I mean, I’m warming up and I’ve got it! I’ve got a few throws, but all it takes is one mistake!’
‘An error! And I can screw everything up,” he added before mentioning a piece of advice given to him by one of baseball’s greatest players and New York favorites, the great Derek Jeter.
“He told me, ‘don’t screw this up,’” Stephen A revealed. “Don’t screw this up and he wants to see the video as soon as I’m done…” Okay…thankful….”
A day earlier, on Wednesday, Stephen A. showed his excitement when he was invited to throw out the first pitch on his eponymous podcast, telling his fans that he still has the skills to pay the bills.
‘I told you this morning during ‘First Take’ what I am going to do this Thursday. That would be tomorrow night,” Stephen A. said, before shouting, “Your boy is throwing out the first pitch at Yankees Stadium!” Yes, that’s me, that’s me!
“Now I want to say that my shoulder hurts a little,” the sports analyst joked. “I had an MRI and they say there’s nothing there, so I’ll be fine. I don’t have that excuse, but I gotta work on it, I gotta work on it, okay? I just wanted to let you know.’
It’s fair to say that Stephen A., who has claimed to be a “diehard Yankee fan” since a young age, left fans on social media unimpressed after putting his lame pitch on display.
“Man rosters athletes daily and does this,” said a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, while sharing a loud crying face emoji.
“If ‘if you didn’t play why would people listen to you’ was a video,” wrote another.
“HE SHOULD RETIRED AFTER THIS,” one fan joked.
“Don’t worry, your opinion on baseball is even worse, surprisingly @stephenasmith,” said one user.
“I’ve seen a dog throw better than that,” another tweeted, rolling on the floor with laughing emojis.
