J.J. McCarthy was deemed a first-round talent on the gridiron. But if his first pitch at Target Field is any indication, the new Minnesota Vikings quarterback is far from one on the diamond.
While McCarthy was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football last season (72.3 completion percentage), that skill wasn’t on display when he took the mound at Tuesday’s Minnesota Twins game. McCarthy’s first pitch flew over the outer edge of the batter’s box of the left-handed hitter’s side.
McCarthy instantly knew that he missed the mark, reacting in a way that a quarterback would when they miss an open receiver and leaping toward home plate after the ball went into the backstop.
The crowd at Target Field also knew that it had just seen a new entry into the list of the worst first pitches ever thrown, with fans collectively groaning as the stadium’s organist hit a lower note.
Shockingly, McCarthy wasn’t the only Vikings rookie to throw a bad first pitch Tuesday. Before the QB took the mound, fellow first-round pick Dallas Turner airmailed his first pitch. Turner’s throw actually landed in the netting behind home plate, according to one fan who was in attendance.
McCarthy’s and Turner’s first pitches might not have been as aesthetically bad as some other memorable poor first pitches over the years. 50 Cent’s first pitch at a New York Mets game in 2014 is widely regarded as the worst first pitch ever thrown, as he tossed the pitch outside the dirt around home plate as it dribbled to the backstop.
Grammy-nominated DJ Steve Aoki had a forgettable (or unforgettable) first pitch in 2022, as his throw landed several feet up the netting behind home plate at Fenway Park and prompted several laughs.
Singers Mariah Carey and Carly Rae Jepsen had similar results with their infamous pitches. Carey’s throw only made it a few feet before it hit the grass and bounced toward home plate at a game in Japan in 2008. Jepsen’s first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game in 2013 barely made it out of her hand before it bounced toward the first-base line rather than home plate.
Considering the Vikings duo’s profession, they might receive a bit more scorn than the others did for their poor first pitches. However, they’re far from the first professional athletes to throw a bad first pitch.
Michael Jordan threw a bad first pitch ahead of the Chicago Cubs’ one-game playoff against the San Francisco Giants in 1998. Jordan, who had a one-year stint playing minor-league baseball, threw his pitch well over Sammy Sosa as the ball hit the wall behind home plate at Wrigley Field.
Travis Kelce also joined the list last year. His first pitch at a Cleveland Guardians game took a hard bounce between the mound and home plate before speeding to the backstop.
A bad first pitch a few months before you play in your first NFL game doesn’t actually mean anything, of course. But Vikings fans surely hope it isn’t a sign of things to come as McCarthy is part of the team’s plan to replace Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Turner, meanwhile, was drafted after the team lost star edge rusher Danielle Hunter earlier in the offseason.
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