"Thats the grip"- Boston Red Sox ace gave Steve Aoki tips on pitching before things went hilariously wrong
If you have been following baseball news recently, then it is likely you have seen celebrity DJ Steve Aoki's disastrous first pitch for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Although never really taking baseball seriously, Steve Aoki is no stranger to the game. The DJ participated in the Major League Baseball celebrity All-Star softball game this past season in 2021. In 2015, he also threw out the first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Topps Sports even created Aoki his own baseball card for that event.
However, Aoki's first pitch on May 16 made it seem like he has never touched a baseball in his life. While throwing from the pitcher's mound, Aoki launched the ball into the stands behind home plate. Some are even saying that this pitch beat out 50-Cent's terrible toss at Citi Field in 2014 as the worst first pitch of all time.
How do the Boston Red Sox play a part in this disaster?
Perhaps the craziest part of this already insane celebrity first pitch is the fact that he was warming up beforehand, and the Boston Red Sox gave him advice for the throw. Before the pitch, Aoki can be seen on his Instagram story with Boston Red Sox ace Matt Barnes discussing pitch grips.
Shortly after this conversation with Matt Barnes, Steve Aoki proceeded to absolutely launch the baseball into the Fenway stands. The real question is, what does this say about Matt Barnes? Based on the video on Steve Aoki's story, it looks like Matt Barnes is trying to teach him how to throw a proper four-seam fastball. However, what Aoki threw on the mound was far from that. Maybe this is why Barnes is currently 0-3 with a 7.71 earned run average and the Red Sox are struggling so far this season. Perhaps Matt Barnes should refrain from giving tips to non-baseball players from now on.
Now, obviously, Matt Barnes is a good pitcher in Major League Baseball with a solid 2021 season that saw him make his first All-Star appearance. Barnes and the Red Sox are experiencing some early struggles in the 2022 season, and they will figure it out soon enough. Matt Barnes is also not the actual reason for Steve Aoki's terrible first pitch; it is just funny to speculate. Things like this are what makes the game of baseball so exciting for the fans.
Steve Aoki, First Pitch (with Tail) https://t.co/snqPxvJJbc
The Boston Red Sox are scheduled to play the Houston Astros May 17, 2022, at 7:10 p.m. (EDT) where they look to take back-to-back series for the first time this season.