Steve Harvey Roasts Stephen A. Smith for ‘Embarrassing’ Pitch
Stephen A. Smith threw out a particularly disappointing first pitch at the Yankees’ home game against the Blue Jays which went unnoticed by no one. Now, comedian Steve Harvey has weighed in with his two cents.
Stephen A. Smith threw out the first pitch at the Yankees game tonight … and then offered an explanation ?? pic.twitter.com/FtaSeNUFbf
— MLB Life (@MLBLife) September 22, 2023
Harvey called into First Take on Friday morning to join Stephen A.’s co-hosts, and the rest of the internet, in roasting the opinionated anchor. “First of all, let me say: The embarrassment that has been heaped upon me,” the Family Feud host roared while Smith stifled laughter. “I love you, dawg, but I could not believe what I saw.”
He went on to compare Smith’s experience to his own effort. “I’ve actually thrown out a first pitch at the cubs game in Chicago [and] I’m actually 10, 12 years older than you. I lean back, I put pepper on it. What you did yesterday, oh my God, sucked. Just sucked to the higher [power],” Harvey wailed disapprovingly.
“Let me tell you what it was for me, Stephen. It was that arrogant stroll up to the mound. And that carefree slip of the ball, like you had just struck out the previous 11 batters,” Harvey continued as Smith and his co-hosts collapsed in laughter. “When you threw that bunny-hop ass baseball, it damn near rolled to the catcher. And the worst of it was that wrist slip at the end. What the hell was that about?!”
Harvey wasn’t done yet, though. He then compared Stephen A.’s toss to one of the most notorious first-pitches in MLB history. “Your throw was damn near 50 Cent-ish,” Harvey laughed. “The only difference was his was way left.” Smith briefly attempted to stand up for himself: “Mine went straight, and it eventually got over home plate.”
“Are you really trying to hang onto that?” Harvey asked him.
Shortly after Thursday’s pitch, Stephen A. dressed himself down in the MLB broadcasting booth. “I was disgusted with myself. I was throwing strikes from 60 feet away, and I got on that mound and it looked like it was a mile away. I said, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ There’s no excuse. It was a choke job.”
Harvey isn’t the only personality who showed up on First Take today offering Stephen A. notes. Shannon Sharpe, Smith’s First Take co-anchor, and Snoop Dogg, who had his own infamous first pitch, offered pre-recorded ribbings. Stephen A.’s sister, Carmen, also got in on the fun. “I think with that throw, you had to pass gas or something,” she said in a call to the show. “You lifted your leg up. You had bubble guts, I know you did.”
