Who would have thought that a viral sensation throwing out the first pitch at a New York Mets game could generate so much intense reaction? But that’s exactly what we saw when Hailey Welch, better known to the world as the “Hawk Tuah” girl, took on the honor on Thursday.

Welch seems to be making the most of her 15 minutes of fame and having a lot of fun doing it. Good for her! But it’s sparking some pretty over-the-top reactions from people who feel like the sanctity of the honorable first pitch, baseball, and the fabric of American society as a whole is being torn to shreds.

The Mets were panned by Sal Licata on WFAN, by Mike Francesa on his podcast, and in the most predictable column in the history of the written word – by Phil Mushnick in the New York Post.

But thankfully, someone has stepped in to be the voice of reason. And that someone is *looks at his notes* Craig Carton?

The only first pitch that ever really meant anything was President Bush’s at Yankee Stadium in 2001. Stop complaining and leave your hypocritical, self-righteous attitude to yourself. I’ll give the Mets credit for trying. Now insult me ​​and have a blessed day.

— Craig Carton (@craigcartonlive) 18 August 2024

Carton is probably right in this case. We all remember the first pitch of the 2001 World Series. It was an incredible moment. But the other first pitches that stick in our minds are pretty much all because they were awful or hilarious. And it’s not like Major League Baseball teams always take the opportunity to honor important community figures or heroic behavior. The Cleveland Guardians had their first pitch thrown by a D-grade influencer, and he intentionally tried to throw the worst first pitch in history for the sake of creating content.

So a girl who went viral by shouting “Hawk Tuah” in a TikTok video had a moment and shouted “Dogs for Vets.” Somehow, we’ll all find a way to carry on, and no one is going to threaten to cancel this year’s World Series because of it.