In a light-hearted moment on Thursday, April 9, CBS Mornings host Gayle King took to the mound at Citi Field in Queens, New York, to perform the ceremonial first pitch for the game between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, her initial attempt did not quite land as intended, leading to a flurry of laughter and playful banter from her colleagues.
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King, who had been invited to throw the first pitch, confessed to feeling apprehensive at the prospect. Initially, she declined the opportunity but was eventually persuaded by the Mets organisation and comedian Roy Wood Jr., who was poised to catch the throw. King’s first pitch plummeted into the grass, showcasing her nerves rather than the expected athletic prowess, and when the event was replayed on CBS Mornings the following day, her colleagues had a laugh at the “low and slow” nature of her attempt.
“You don’t have to show it in slow motion!” King exclaimed during the broadcast, jokingly imploring her team to refrain from further highlighting her mishap. Laughter continued as her co-anchor Nate Burleson quipped, “Wait, I thought it was called first pitch!”
Reflecting on the experience, King expressed a sense of determination. “Honest to God, for a moment, I felt like—I hate to say, for a moment, I felt like Travis Kelce. ‘I cannot go out like that,'” she said, demonstrating her spirited nature. Despite her initial setbacks and the strong encouragement to proceed, King sought a second chance to deliver a more respectable throw.
King disclosed that she had not originally planned to throw a pitch. While attending the game with Oprah Daily Creative Director Adam Glassman to work on a segment involving trying new activities, Wood nudged her to give the game a go. “I’d never been to a Mets game,” she remarked. “Roy Wood is a big baseball fan. I used to say, ‘Baseball is a little boring.’ So he was trying to show, ‘Gayle, it is not. It absolutely, positively is not.'”
Despite her hesitation, the atmosphere at Citi Field compelled her to step up to the mound. As spectators filled the stands, King’s nerves intensified. “I got really nervous,” she recalled. “Oh my gosh, all those people in the stands! … You’re this close and personal.”
The nerves were not lost on her co-anchor Tony Duthiers, who noted that King’s facial expressions while heading to the mound mirrored her anxious look as she boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for an all-female space flight last year. That moment gained viral attention, transforming King’s apprehension into a meme that circulated widely on social media.
During the game, King received good-natured ribbing from the people around her. She noted that the Mets staff were incredibly supportive, despite one security guard playfully remarking, “Nice second pitch,” adding a dash of sarcasm to the moment.
Despite King’s spirited efforts, the game did not end favourably for the Mets, who succumbed to a 7-1 defeat against the Diamondbacks. While her attempt on the mound may not have gone according to plan, King’s willingness to embrace the experience is a testament to her vibrant personality and resilience.
In a world where public performances can be daunting, King’s willingness to step into the spotlight—albeit with a hiccup—offers an encouraging reminder of the value of perseverance, even in the face of a misplaced pitch. Her good-humoured approach to the experience reflects a desire not only to entertain but also to connect with fans in a genuine way. As she noted, sometimes everyone just needs a chance to try again.