Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski threw out the first pitch for the Red Sox on Monday, and he did it in the most Gronkish way.
Wearing his NFL number 87 on the back of a custom Red Sox jersey, Gronk takes a huge windup like Dennis Eckersley and imitates his iconic “Gronk Spike” touchdown celebration. and hit the ball straight down to the ground.
Gronk throws the first pitch very well. pic.twitter.com/xHyEs1mxvE
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 15, 2024
The stadium erupted in joy when Red Sox mascot Wally imitated Gronk’s signature spikes behind home plate.
His unique Gronk first pitch caused a stir and even caught the attention of former quarterback Tom Brady, who wrote in a social media post of the epic event, “Love seeing those Gronk cleats!!!!” I commented.
Tom Brady approves of Gronk’s first pitch spikes 😂 pic.twitter.com/dTkPsmDnMD
— MLB (@MLB) April 15, 2024
I’m with you, Tom. I miss seeing those spikes on Sundays. (Related: The NFL’s liberal media darling may actually like Trump)
Gronk retired in 2022, and since then, the NFL has been missing the devil-may-care frat-boy energy that Gronkowski brought every Sunday. Do you think Gronk makes the most brilliant conversation at a dinner party? Probably not. Do I miss watching him run wild like an animal every week? I certainly do.
He is perhaps the greatest tight end of all time, with only Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe and future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce competing for that title. Kelce, Gronk’s successor and likely the last remaining great tight end from his era, brings a much cooler approach to his on-field persona. Okay, obviously it’s working for him. But he’s no Gronkowski. Even with his recent homage to the great Gronk, drinking beer on stage while accepting his diploma from the University of Cincinnati, he doesn’t compare to the idiosyncratic Rob Gronkowski.
