CLEVELAND — Earlier this month, Travis Kelce threw out one of the most memorable first pitches in Cleveland -- if not all of sports -- history.
And not for the right reasons.
Taking the mound at Progressive Field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians' home opener on April 7, the Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end proved why he's better suited for the gridiron than the diamond. The Cleveland Heights native's throw was more of a spike than it was a pitch and instantly became a viral moment across social media with NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes taking to Twitter to rib his Kansas City teammate.
On the latest episode of Kelce's podcast, "New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce," which he hosts with his brother and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, the two-time Super Bowl champion blamed his mother, Donna, for the failed first pitch.
"Honestly, Mom kind of threw me under the bus," Travis said. "Mom was supposed to throw it. If I would've known that I was throwing it the entire time, I would have been on the mound all week getting my fastball right."
Travis also added that he was never special on the mound when he played baseball growing up and that he was typically a right fielder. As for where he went wrong, the eight-time Pro Bowl selection said that in addition to throwing the ball as hard as he could, he also gripped it as hard as he could.
"You never want to grip it that hard," Jason said.
Guardians ace Shane Bieber served as the catcher for the failed first pitch and could be seen immediately ducking for cover after it left Kelce's hand.
"I was so happy that Shane Bieber got out of the way," Kelce said. "I felt like I put his life in danger."
Surely, Guardians fans agree.