


Haliey Welch isn’t charging the mound over her first pitch backlash.
Welch, who became internet famous after an interview in which she said “hawk tuah” to describe a sexual act went viral, threw out the first pitch before the Mets played the Athletics at Citi Field on Thursday, and not everyone was happy about it.
Welch addressed her detractors in a post on X on Friday.
“So I guess some of the baseball community wasn’t too happy to see me yesterday,” Welch wrote, adding a sheepish grin emoji.
She then noted that her appearance was on behalf of the charity America’s Vet Dogs.
“The main reason I went to the game was to spread awareness and donate to America’s vet dogs which pairs dogs with war veterans for a forever home .Join me in donating to this amazing charity. I miss ya already Buddy,” Welch said, referring to the dog that accompanied her to the first pitch.

WFAN host Sal Licata was among the many detractors of the first pitch.
“The Yankees have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto breaking records. (Babe) Ruth, (Mickey) Mantle, (Lou), Gehrig and the Mets have Grimace and now ‘Hawk Tuah.’ Come on, bro, I can’t take it, I cannot take it anymore” Licata said on-air on Thursday. “It’s ridiculous. And then you wonder why fans get so ticked off and upset. It’s embarrassing.
“Is it the biggest deal in the world? No, absolutely. Does it mean anything on the field? No. But that’s the problem. The problem on the field isn’t good enough and you come up with these silly gimmicks that are laughing stock. It’s a joke. ‘Hawk Tuah.’”