The Detroit Tigers gave Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a game recently, and while it didn’t go well for the Alabama product, his lackluster first pitch paled in comparison to the ones thrown by Minnesota Vikings rookies J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner.
McCarthy and Turner both got the honor at the Minnesota Twins game on Tuesday and they were easily two of the worst first pitches you’ve ever seen, rivaling the all-time worst first pitches thrown by Gary Dell’Abate, 50 Cent and Chris Rock.
McCarthy’s pitch was way outside, got past the catcher and went all the way to the backstop. Turner’s wasn’t any better, as he airmailed the throw over the head of the catcher.
Check out the clip of McCarthy’s first pitch below.
JJ McCarthy’s first pitch was….. not great. #SKOL pic.twitter.com/nKi0yXTrHY
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) June 18, 2024
And here’s Turner’s.
Dallas Turner has a CANNON ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/oCMbCcqVkm
— Dom Cintorino (@domcinto_11) June 19, 2024
Now, compare those two to Arnold’s, which actually made it to the catcher, albeit after a bounce on the infield grass.
Terrion Arnold throws out the first pitch at Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/VKguiB81Nd
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) June 13, 2024
The bad first pitches from Arnold and Turner are a bit more excusable considering they don’t throw a ball for a living. McCarthy was promptly roasted for his failed attempt.
Thankfully, neither the Vikings nor the Lions are paying those players to play baseball. Hopefully the trio have much more success on an NFL field.