Donovan Mitchell's first-pitch goal: "I can't look like 50 Cent"

TNT Sports US pairs the Cavaliers star's pre-pitch nerves with a flashback to baseball's most memorable cautionary throw.

Channel: TNT Sports US Story of October 16, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 53,603 views a day, 11 times a normal first day on this channel (4,854).

Spida's first pitch was definitely better than 50 Cent's 😅

The interviewer's advice is simple: don't bounce it. Donovan Mitchell has a different measure of success in mind before his ceremonial first pitch at the ALCS.

"That's the only thing. I can't look like 50 Cent. That's all. That's my goal," he says, drawing laughter from the interviewer.

TNT Sports US makes sure nobody needs to search for the reference. Its split-screen Short pairs Mitchell's on-field interview with his pitch, then flashes back to the rapper's famously wayward attempt at a Mets game. For a basketball star stepping onto a baseball field, the standard isn't necessarily a strike. It's avoiding the kind of throw people remember for years.

The clip drew about 32,000 views in ten hours, already several times the channel's usual full-day audience for a Short. It sits alongside TNT's Guardians postseason coverage, including Gavin Williams highlights and Cleveland's Game 3 victory. The game coverage supplies the stakes; Mitchell's contribution is a very specific pregame wish.

Published on Trari

Share this story

A ready picture for an Instagram story or a WhatsApp status.

Share the pictureSend the link

×Share the picture

Where next?

More from TNT Sports USThis week on the channel +1M views this weekCade Smith brings Cleveland weather to TNT Sports USWest Virginia's last-gasp win over Cincinnati adds a football finish to a baseball-heavy weekend.Channel: TNT Sports US · Story of October 18, 2026 Also in American sports leagues and mediaVideo taking off 10x its usual first dayStephen A. Smith tests Schottenheimer's definition of a "great coach"First Take turns a Cowboys press-conference declaration into a debate about results, with school grades and speed limits supplying the punchlines.Channel: NFL on ESPN · Story of October 24, 2026 A different discovery todayVideo people are talking about 11x its usual commentsZelenskyy tells Steven Bartlett why he needed "ammunition, not a ride"In a nearly two-hour conversation, Ukraine's president moves from sleepless nights and grieving parents to Bucha, Paddington Bear and the morning the invasion …Channel: The Diary Of A CEO · Story of October 24, 2026

Or follow us on Telegram

Is this your channel?For the channel's owners and team: a ready picture, text and badge for your audience

Share the story with your audience. Everything is ready:

For a community post or your channel's description

Donovan Mitchell's first-pitch goal: "I can't look like 50 Cent" The full story on Trari: https://trari.com/en/story/tntsportsus-11361/?from=kit

Copy the text

For your website

You may use the picture, the badge, and link it to this story.

The numbers

Mitchell's first-pitch clip passed the channel's usual full-day Shorts audience well before its opening day was over.

the video's first day

usual first day here

4,854

this video

53,603

subscribers

2,030,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

74,732,671

views per day

156,295

typical day: 98,933

the video

views

32,009

likes

261

comments

3

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

Speakeasy

2,610,000

FOX Sports

2,350,000

NBA on ESPN

2,180,000

TNT Sports US

2,030,000

SportsCenter NEXT

1,500,000

The Herd with Colin Cowhe…

1,420,000

As of October 16, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.