MMA fighter Conor McGregor has thrown punches his entire career, but on Tuesday he once again proved that’s about all he can throw. The Irishman completely misfired on his ceremonial first pitch at a Minnesota Twins-Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
After entering his stance and winding up, McGregor fired the left-handed pitch well away from its intended target of home plate and nearly hit a fan. McGregor’s ultra-tight gray suit probably didn’t help his ball placement.
Prior to the Cubs’ opening game in their series against the Twins, McGregor stepped up to the mound to throw a routine first pitch. But as the former UFC champion chucked the ball almost directly into the stands, third baseman Patrick Wisdom and Cubs’ mascot Clark were left dumbfounded.
Rapper 50 Cent infamously threw one of the most inaccurate celebrity first pitches ever at a New York Mets game, which makes sense considering he and McGregor shared similarly poor mechanics.
McGregor, UFC’s ninth-ranked light heavyweight, faced trouble before when venturing outside his sport. In 2018, he attended a Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium and decided to throw a football. It went about as well as Tuesday’s first pitch, as the 32-year-old tossed the pigskin like he was tossing a loaf of bread.
While McGregor’s Wrigley Field first pitch isn’t one to be proud of, the fact that he could stand and move around for it is an accomplishment in itself. McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier on July 11, just over two months ago.
McGregor, who’s 22-6 and in 2016 became the first fighter to hold two UFC titles — featherweight and lightweight — simultaneously, is hoping to return to his pre-injury dominance. He should reconsider throwing balls of any kind at sporting events, though, as he tends to draw more laughter than fear from his opponents when he does.
