Hailey Welch went viral earlier this summer when she gave an 'X rated' comment during a street interview that turned her into a popular internet star overnight; she gained over 2 million social media followers in just a couple months.
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However, not everyone is accepting of Welch and how she got her "15 minutes of fame." That is to say, the New York Mets invited her to throw out the first pitch on Thursday, August 15 before the Oakland A's won 7-6, and this sparked outrage from some fans.
Viral internet star Haliey Welch threw out the first pitch at the Mets game today! ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/x18SakboYb
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2024
The backlash led Welch to posting a statement on social media, defending herself as she claimed she was in attendance at the baseball game for a good cause.
With this in mind, no matter how Welch got famous, she certainly has taken an opportunity to use her platform for good, by helping match dogs with war veterans.
So I guess some of the baseball community wasn’t too happy to see me yesterday 😬
The main reason I went to the game was to spread awareness and donate to America’s vet dogs which pairs dogs with war veterans for a forever home ♾️
Join me in donating to this amazing charity.… pic.twitter.com/MshybcjcgZ
— Haliey Welch (@HalieyWelchX) August 16, 2024
"If I only have 15 minutes of fame then I'm going to spend every last minute of it doing the right thing. Let's try and find a home for these sweet lil cats & dogs," Welch previously wrote in a caption on an Instagram post, which showed her teaming up with PetSmart to help out pets in an animal shelter.
Even so, the Mets organization has received much criticism for allowing the "Hawk Tuah" girl to throw out the first pitch.
Apparently, the controversy surrounding her is so much that Mets beat writer Tim Healy, who is a reporter at Newsday, was even prohibited by his bosses from writing about Welch, as per TMZ.
In view of how Welch's first pitch went, it certainly wasn't a strike, but she didn't seem to care as she celebrated the moment with her friend.
Related: Remembering The Nun Who Threw Legendary First Pitch At A Chicago White Sox Game
