Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz threw the ceremonial first pitch before the Phillies took on the Red Sox in Philadelphia on Saturday, and it's safe to say the experience didn't go as planned. The former Eagles star bounced his ball into the dirt while his wife, soccer player Julie Ertz, threw a succesful first pitch while standing farther away.
The morning after Ertz's misfire at Citizens Bank Park, his former Cardinals teammate J.J. Watt decided to tease him on Twitter.
"We have to get this scrubbed from the internet ASAP @ZERTZ_86," Watt wrote in a quote tweet showing Ertz's pitch. "We cannot have people with lots of followers retweeting and sharing this. Have you ever thrown a baseball before?!"
We have to get this scrubbed from the internet ASAP @ZERTZ_86
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) May 7, 2023
We cannot have people with lots of followers retweeting and sharing this.
Have you ever thrown a baseball before?! https://t.co/oSSFhMr4u3
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee decided to join in on the fun. Under Watt's tweet, McAfee admitted he might have "accidentally" retweeted it.
Watt quickly came up with a clever response to that comment.
"That's actually ok. I only reposted it to bring it to the attention of the internet authorities so they can take it down," he replied to McAfee. "You reposting will actually speed up that process hopefully."
Although throwing a first pitch might be harder than it looks, Watt has earned the right to do a little bit of teasing. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has proven he can throw a baseball quite well.
One of his most memorable first pitches was on Oct. 27, 2017, when the Astros were in the World Series for the second time in franchise history. Watt -- who had just raised $37 million for Hurricane Harvey relief -- was invited to do the honors even though he was less than three weeks removed from undergoing surgery on a broken leg. Watt's pitch went too far to the right, but the ball didn't bounce despite him making the throw while on crutches.
Watt is known for his fun-loving personality, so him teasing Ertz was not surprising. The five-time All-Pro announced his retirement from football last year, so perhaps he can use some of his free time to help his former teammate improve his pitching skills.
