STEPHEN A. Smith may be on vacation from First Take – but he’s still catching strays over his infamous New York Yankees first pitch.
The ESPN sports debate show welcomed Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman to the studio on Friday.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman joined First Take before tossing the first pitch at a Yankee game[/caption] Freeman wanted to avoid a similar fate to First Take’s Stephen A. Smith[/caption] Smith’s disastrous double-bounce first pitch last September quickly went viral[/caption]Freeman was due to throw out the first pitch before the Yankees home game against the Tampa Bay Rays following the show.
Stephen A. was widely mocked by colleagues and fans after his attempt last summer.
The 56-year-old went viral after throwing a disastrous pitch that bounced before it reached the plate.
Freeman was given tips ahead of his appearance on the mound at Yankee Stadium on Friday night from First Take’s Harry Douglas.
And the ex-NFL star warned Freeman ahead of the new college season.
“Is he going to be better than Stephen A.?” Douglas laughed.
“I’m gonna let you know now – [the pitch] better be good,” he told Freeman.
“Because I’m going to be on College GameDay at Texas A&M when y’all play.
“We will use that video if we have to!”
“I played baseball growing up,” Freeman laughed in response.
“This ain’t my first pitch. But the one thing I’ve learned [from Stephen A.] is to make sure it crosses the plate.”
Freeman, 38, headed out to the mound before the Yankees 6-1 win over the Rays.
Seemingly trying to avoid a similar bounced effort to Smith, his pitch was thrown wildly high.
But it was athletically caught by relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle to spare the college football coach any embarrassment.
Stephen A. wasn’t in the studio to defend himself during Friday’s show.
First Take viewing figures
First Take went from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim last year.
The weekday ESPN debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 – making it the most-watched year in program history.
Its December average of 611,000 was a 24% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.
The show also reported more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
The sportscaster has been off since July 2 enjoying a summer vacation away from his broadcasting duties.
Smith announced on Thursday he will return to First Take on July 22.
“I see my man Harry Douglas — sitting in my chair on @FirstTake,” Stephen A. wrote on X.
“You know the responsibility that comes with that.@BartScott57! Miss ya bro. See you soon.”
“See y’all next week — in studio. Buckle up, peeps! Just for the week, though,” he added.
Freeman threw out his first pitch on Friday – and avoided a Smith embarrassment[/caption]