'What were they thinking? Be better than this'
The famed "Hawk Tuah Girl" was the New York Mets' special guest Thursday, throwing out the first pitch ahead of their game.
"Hawk Tuah Girl" is Haliey Welch, a Tennessee native who went viral with her now-infamous phrase, which was her response when she was asked "what move" in the bedroom makes a guy go "crazy."
"Awh, you gotta hawk … tuah, spit on that thang — you get me?" she said in Nashville during the weekend of the Country Music Awards.
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Viral internet star Haliey Welch throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field in New York. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
The clip became an instant hit on TikTok and has since spread everywhere. At first, Welch, 21, kept a low profile, but she's now capitalizing on the opportunity.
Last month, she reportedly raked in $30,000 to make an appearance at a south Florida pool club, fittingly in a Tua Tagovailoa shirsey.
On Thursday, she put her athletic skills to the test, taking the mound for a day game between the Mets and Oakland Athletics.
Welch's appearance drew quite a reaction.
"So the Mets decided to get the Hawk Tuah Girl to throw out the 1st pitch for a summer ‘camp day’ day game where the vast majority of fans are 11 year old kids at the ballpark on camp trips. Seriously what were they thinking? Be better than this," one user wrote on X.
Viral internet star Haliey Welch reacts after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
"What an awful, awful decision to legitimize her and give her a platform," said another.
Other users called it "pathetic" and "disgusting."
So the @Mets decided to get the Hawk Tuah Girl to throw out the 1st pitch for a summer "camp day" day game where the vast majority of fans are 11 year old kids at the ballpark on camp trips. Seriously what were they thinking? Be better than this. #LGM https://t.co/p1qgKYJz8l
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) August 15, 2024
What an awful, awful decision to legitimize her and give her a platform
— John Anderson (@EinarRetentive) August 15, 2024
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Others came to Welch's defense, considering she didn't sign up to go viral. She also made charitable donations since becoming famous on social media.
The Mets squandered a 5-0 lead to the A's and lost, 7-6, in the longest nine-inning game in the pitch-timer era (3 hours, 45 minutes). Many now believe Welch cursed the 2024 Mets.
Haliey Welch appears at SiriusXM Studios July 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
That, of course, remains to be seen, but Thursday might have marked the worst loss of the season for the Mets.
Fox News Digital reached to the Mets for comment on the backlash.
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