MLB Twitter reacts to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass catching first pitch on Friday for Pride Weekend celebration: "The level of petty I love"
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass came under fire last week on social media. He shared a post urging people to boycott brands like Target and Bud Light for their support of the LGTBQ community.
Since then, Bass has apologized and met with the Pride Toronto director last week. Manager Ross Atkins appreciated the apology and liked his pitcher's direction. Atkins wants to see Bass continue this, making Bass the catcher for the ceremonial first pitch celebrating Pride Weekend on Friday.
The Blue Jays will have Anthony Bass catch the ceremonial first pitch on Friday to begin their Pride Weekend celebration, per @KeeganMatheson https://t.co/rm0VNUgGuQ
Along with Bass catching the ceremonial first pitch, Toronto will have its stadium covered in rainbow flags, pregame festivities, and live performances. Fans can also get their hands on themed food and drinks at the concession stands.
Bass will have to do more than catch the first pitch if he wants to win some Toronto Blue Jays fans back. He was booed in his first home game appearance since making the post.
"The level of petty I love" one fan tweeted.
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson The level of petty I love
"Blue Jays are trolling him so hard" another fan tweeted.
Blue Jays are trolling him so hard 😭😭😭 twitter.com/TalkinBaseball…
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson He’s also being forced to stay after the game and pickup all the left over popcorn in the crowd
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson Stared at this for a good minute how is this real
If you asked every MLB fan who they think would catch the first pitch to kick off Pride Weekend, it wouldn't have been Anthony Bass. Bass would have been the last person anyone would have thought of.
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson WHAT😂😂😂😂😂😂
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson Pure comedy. Disappointed to be a fan of this team rn :(
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson LMAOOOOOOO
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson I get the idea but I feel like the community would rather have any other player catch it lol
@TalkinBaseball_ @KeeganMatheson Bro just cut him man.
While fans understand the gesture, they feel like the Toronto Blue Jays forced it. They believe the community would rather see somebody else catch the first pitch to kick off their celebration.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass will need to walk on eggshells the rest of the season
There's nothing quite like having all the attention on you as an athlete for something other than your abilities. Anthony Bass learned this the hard way when he reposted the homophobic video to his Instagram account. He has since deleted his Instagram and has taken a step back from social media.
That wasn't the first time the pitcher was engulfed in controversy from social media. Earlier this season, he was trolled on Twitter when he posted his experience with a United Airlines flight. He stated the crew made his pregnant wife clean up a mess left by their child on the plane. The post led to many others questioning the situation or telling him to get over it.
As polarizing as politics have become today, one can only advocate for objective truth to thrive.