Mike Francesa blasts Mets over 'Hawk Tuah Girl' first pitch: 'What the hell are they thinking?'

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Veteran sports radio talk host Mike Francesa didn’t hold back when discussing the New York Mets' decision to invite controversial internet personality Haliey Welch to throw out the first pitch in Thursday’s loss to the Athletics. 

Discussing the incident on "The Mike Francesa Podcast," Francesa blasted the decision-makers for inviting Welch to appear on "Camp Day," knowing that she had risen to internet fame in June after making a lewd comment in a video that went viral on social media. 

Haliey Welch throws out the first pitch during the game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, August 15, 2024, in New York, New York. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

"I know nothing about this . . . young lady. I know she’s in her 15 minutes of fame – she just struck a chord and went viral with some sleazy answer to a man-on-the-street question," Francesa said in his nearly four-minute long rant on the topic. 

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"The question I have is, knowing that that’s the case, that her fleeting – and it will be fleeting – fame was about something as suggestive as her answer was, what in the world would possess the Mets to bring her in to throw out the first ball? And, on top of it, on camp day."

Many fans shared Francesa’s point of view, prompting a wave of backlash on social media. 

"You have heard me say on numerous occasions, and it’s continued through the ownership change, that the Mets could screw up a one-car funeral," he continued. 

Viral internet personality Haliey Welch (L) reacts with a friend after combining for the ceremonial first pitch prior to