As one of the best tight ends in the NFL, Travis Kelce’s reputation for catching balls is second to none.
But the Super Bowl winner might not be so acclaimed for throwing them after his wild ceremonial first pitch on Friday before the Cleveland Guardians’ game against the Seattle Mariners.
He had walked out to the mound accompanied by his mother Donna, resplendent in matching Guardians jerseys, hyped up the crowd, and wound up before bouncing his pitch wide and way in front of pitcher Shane Bieber, who jumped out the way of the ricocheting ball.
Kelce immediately ran over to Bieber and the two men shared a hug, while a famous Kansas City teammate, the son of a former MLB player, expressed his amusement on Twitter.
“Ayyyyyy bruhhhhhhhhh,” reigning league and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes tweeted alongside a row of cry-laughing and skull emojis.
“Ayyy @Royals lets give him another chance. ASAP!!!” Mahomes, who is a part owner of the Kansas City Royals, later quipped.
After Guardians manager Terry Francona was asked if he had any qualms about putting Bieber in a precarious position, he simply replied: “I’m glad he didn’t tackle him,” according to ESPN.
Kelce is originally from Cleveland Heights but probably won’t be appearing for his hometown baseball team any time soon.
“Been spiking a football for the past 10 years… can you tell?” he joked on Twitter.
