MLB Twitter reacts to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass catching first pitch on Friday for Pride Weekend celebration: "The level of petty I love"

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass came under fire last week on social media. He shared a post urging people to boycott brands like Target and Bud Light for their support of the LGTBQ community.

Since then, Bass has apologized and met with the Pride Toronto director last week. Manager Ross Atkins appreciated the apology and liked his pitcher's direction. Atkins wants to see Bass continue this, making Bass the catcher for the ceremonial first pitch celebrating Pride Weekend on Friday.

Along with Bass catching the ceremonial first pitch, Toronto will have its stadium covered in rainbow flags, pregame festivities, and live performances. Fans can also get their hands on themed food and drinks at the concession stands.

Bass will have to do more than catch the first pitch if he wants to win some Toronto Blue Jays fans back. He was booed in his first home game appearance since making the post.

If you asked every MLB fan who they think would catch the first pitch to kick off Pride Weekend, it wouldn't have been Anthony Bass. Bass would have been the last person anyone would have thought of.

While fans understand the gesture, they feel like the Toronto Blue Jays forced it. They believe the community would rather see somebody else catch the first pitch to kick off their celebration.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass will need to walk on eggshells the rest of the season

There's nothing quite like having all the attention on you as an athlete for something other than your abilities. Anthony Bass learned this the hard way when he reposted the homophobic video to his Instagram account. He has since deleted his Instagram and has taken a step back from social media.

That wasn't the first time the pitcher was engulfed in controversy from social media. Earlier this season, he was trolled on Twitter when he posted his experience with a United Airlines flight. He stated the crew made his pregnant wife clean up a mess left by their child on the plane. The post led to many others questioning the situation or telling him to get over it.

As polarizing as politics have become today, one can only advocate for objective truth to thrive.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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