UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has placed himself in contention for the worst first pitch of all time after an appearance at Citi Field before a New York Mets game.
The curse of the Mets first pitch lived on through Costa after he arrived in Flushing, Queens, New York, ahead of UFC 302. While his fight against former champion and fan favorite Sean Strickland is hosted in Newark, New Jersey, “Borrachinha” stopped in the Big Apple to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mets played the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the Brazilian is beloved by fans in his own right, nothing could shelter him from how bad his pitch was.
The public address announcer is heard saying, “All right Paulo, it’s your pitch!” right as the fighter prepared to throw the ball. Wearing a dress shirt and dress pants, the 33-year-old wound up in a right-handed stance and threw the pitch about 10 feet to the left of home plate.
Either in incredibly good spirits or oblivious to how bad his pitch was, Costa gave fans a thumbs up and a smile as he walked off the mound.
Costa later summarized his pitch on social media as an “absolute laser.”
‘I mean, the guy can throw a wheel kick though.’
Surprisingly, the fighter’s pitch may only be the second- or third-worst pitch by a celebrity at Citi Field. In 2009, also in May, radio producer Gary Dell’Abate threw a pitch so far off the right side of the plate that it hit a nearby umpire.
What made things worse for the “The Howard Stern Show” personality was that he had practiced for weeks leading up to the event to ensure he wasn’t later mocked for his performance when he returned to the radio show. Obviously, his practice did not yield the preferred results.
What may be the most terrible celebrity pitch at Citi Field happened about five years later in 2014. Taking place again in May, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson took a left-handed approach and threw the ball around 10-15 feet wide of the plate, almost hitting a photographer and then a cameraman.
The best pitch ever?
Tennis legend John McEnroe is considered to have possibly the best celebrity first pitch in New York Mets history.
In 2016, at age 57 McEnroe threw an actual laser of a pitch seemingly just off the lower-left part of the plate, but still very close to a strike. The catcher for the Mets at the time can even be seen instinctively trying to frame the pitch and then fist pumps in celebration on his way to greet McEnroe on the mound.
Adding to the conspiracy, the pitch took place in August, not May.
Costa’s opponent and fellow contender Strickland was asked about the first pitch at a UFC press conference.
“Did you see him throw out the first pitch at the baseball game yesterday?” a reporter asked Strickland.
“No! Was it pretty bad?” Strickland responded.
“It was about seven feet wide,” the reporter claimed.
Strickland, however, wasn’t willing to condemn his opponent and gave him credit for being really good at a different sport.
“I mean the guy can throw a wheel kick though. I don’t mind Costa, he’s a funny guy,” the 185-pound fighter added. Strickland also noted that he enjoyed Costa’s joke about comparing dating a fat woman to being an early investor in Bitcoin.
“Getting one of these in your prime, regulating [her] diet and sending her [to] the gym is the same thing as buying Bitcoin in 2010,” Costa explained.
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