“The embarrassment heaped upon me” – Stephen A. Smith gets MERCILESSLY roasted by Steve Harvey, Jay Z, Derek Jeter after disastrous first pitch at Yankees game

It is customary for celebrities to throw the first pitch at MLB games. Sometimes it goes well, but most times, things do not go as planned, with pitches going all over the place. The most recent celebrity within the NBA to throw out the first pitch was EPSN analyst Stephen A. Smith. As expected, knowing Stephen A., things didn’t go according to plan.

Smith stepped up to the mound, swinging his arms and preparing himself for the pitch. He went on to throw the ball with way less power than required and managed to bounce the ball instead of throwing it straight at the glove of the catcher standing on the opposite side. Celebrities and fans took to social media and blew up his phone to hilariously roast the analyst. One of the big names joining in on the trolling was American television host and producer Steve Harvey.

On a recent episode of Smith’s show “First Take,” Harvey joined in via phone, and the regret on Stephen’s face was blatantly obvious. Harvey and Smith have known each other for a while. Harvey then proceeded to hilariously roast Smith’s pitch. He said, “It just sucks to the highest. It was that arrogant stroll up to the mound and that carefree slip of the ball.”

He further went on to say, “Then you cocked back, and then threw that bunny-hop a** baseball! It damn near rolled to the catcher. He went on to dig into Smith “The worst of it for me was the wrist flip at the end what the hell was that?”

From Derek Jeter to Jay Z, many other celebrities also went after Smith. During the episode, Smith stated that he had received a text from Jay Z. Smith stated, “I just got a text from Jay Z; he just texted me an article, “Stephen A says he’s disgusted by his first pitch,” and then he just put sad, pathetic faces attached to it. He’s supposed to be my boy.”

Jeter had also hilariously called Smith before the pitch saying, “You better not mess this up.” He called Smith yet again after the pitch and mocked him saying that he was actually playing cricket instead of baseball.

Also read: Giannis Antetokounmpo to team-up with Steph Curry? Warriors among FAVORITES to land two-time MVP

Who are some other big names that have thrown out the first pitch?

Besides Stephen A, various other celebrities have taken to the mound. A lot of NBA players have participated in this custom as well. Most recently, 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium in June. Other big names have also contributed to the custom over the years. Deandre Jordan was one of the few who had managed to throw out a successful first pitch right at the catcher.

Early in his career, after he was drafted, Karl Anthony-Towns also threw the baseball. Michael Jordan also participated in the tradition of throwing out a complete miss during his attempt at Wrigley Field in 1998. He walked away with a smile on his face as the crowd revealed his failed attempt. He had done it wearing a Sammy Sosa jersey before the one-game playoff between the Cubs and Giants.

It is customary for players to throw out the ball for the city they hail from or the team that has drafted them. Lebron James followed in the same tradition and threw out the first pitch for the Cleveland Indians after being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some of the worst pitches ever broadcasted include the likes of Stephen Curry, Demar Derozan, John Wall, and Dirk Nowitzki. 

Notwizki managed to throw the ball over the catcher, as he had to jump in order to grab the ball. Nowitzki can be excused, as he is a German national and has probably never played baseball in his life. The same cannot be said for the other players, as they managed to completely miss the catcher’s mound. Many other players have also contributed to the custom, but these were some of the more noticeable, rather hilarious ones.

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