Netflix Taps ‘Wednesday’ Character Thing for MLB First Pitch. Fans Aren’t Amused
Netflix made its MLB debut Wednesday night with Yankees vs. Giants at Oracle Park, and before a single pitch was thrown in anger, baseball fans were already furious.
The culprit was none other than Thing. The disembodied hand from Netflix's hit series Wednesday — itself a spinoff of the Addams Family — was chosen to deliver the game ball for the ceremonial first pitch of the 2026 MLB season. Turns out baseball fans weren't into the gimmick.
Jomboy Media, one of the most followed baseball accounts on social media, posted the footage with a caption that summed up the mood perfectly: "Imagine telling Babe Ruth this is who would be throwing out the first pitch to open the 2026 MLB season."
Imagine telling Babe Ruth this is who would be throwing out the first pitch to open the 2026 MLB season pic.twitter.com/coFafyGgwB
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 25, 2026
The reaction from fans was swift and almost universally negative. "Baseball fans don't want any of this," one commenter wrote. "Just show the darn game," said another. "Corny as hell" and "It's Opening Day idiots, nobody wants to see this" were among the more printable responses. One fan declared it would be "the first game of the season I miss." Another predicted: "Looking forward to the 5th inning when they go downstairs to a Bridgerton actress lustily leering at Aaron Judge."
The Thing stunt is part of a broader effort by Netflix to brand the broadcast as distinctly its own. The streaming giant is paying $60 million annually for a three-year package that includes Opening Night, the Home Run Derby, and the Field of Dreams game. The pregame desk featured MLB legends Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rizzo alongside former ESPN anchor Elle Duncan — a legitimately strong lineup that drew far less attention than a prop hand crawling across Oracle Park.
Netflix's VP of Sports Gabe Spitzer has described the strategy as creating "meaningful water-cooler conversation" for a global audience. On Opening Night, they got the conversation ... just not the kind they were hoping for.