Step aside, Grimace. There’s a new good luck charm looking to rally the New York Metstuah World Series.
Haliey Welch – otherwise known as the viral Hawk Tuah Girl – has adopted the Mets as her favorite baseball team, often taking to social media to cheer the Amazins on during their improbable playoff run. And it seems as though her impact on the team can already be felt.
After Welch threw out the first pitch at Citi Field on August 15, the Mets caught fire down the stretch, winning 27 of their final 43 regular-season games en route to clinching a wild-card berth. New York has continued to shine in the postseason, securing hard-fought series victories over the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies in the national league wild card and divisional rounds, respectively.
Yet Welch – who sent social media into a tailspin earlier this year with her NSFW advice in the bedroom – is hardly the only figure to be credited with turning the Mets’ season around. New York faithful have additionally turned to other club legends this year, such as Seymour Weiner, the “Rally Pimp,” and – most notably – Grimace.
Though Grimace has received the majority of praise from Mets fans – with many Citi Field attendees nowadays lining the stands dressed as the lovable McDonald’s spokesperson – Welch asserted that she’s the real reason for the team’s miraculous performances as of late.
“All I have to say to that is ‘scoreboard,’” she exclusively told Mirror Sports U.S. over email. “Check the stats. My numbers are higher.”
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Mets fans have adopted Grimace and ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ as their good luck charms this season (
Getty Images)
The numbers, in fact, don’t lie. Since Grimace threw out the first pitch on June 12, the Mets have gone 67-39 in the regular season and playoffs – marking a 63.2 percent win percentage. Following Welch’s toss, New York is 33-18 (64.7 percent).
Despite the positive impact that Welch has appeared to have on the Mets, other teams aren’t exactly rushing to have her attend their games. “No other team has invited me yet; maybe they’re scared,” she revealed. “But hell, if I’m a luck charm, they’re missing out.”
As the Mets continued to stack up wins, fans began to adopt Welch as one of their own, sending the 22-year-old photoshopped images of her head atop players’ bodies. She accepted the hilarious photos with open arms, frequently sharing them on X with her 334,000 followers.
“I love memes, and my community of fans love them even more – so people started creating them for me and I started posting them,” she said. “I’m just having fun with it all and guess what, the Mets kept winning!”
It wasn’t until the postseason that Welch began following New York religiously, routinely making time in her packed schedule to watch games. The Belfast, Tennessee native will certainly be tuning in for Game 3 of the NLCS between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers and hoping to help keep the good vibes rolling.
“No joke, when I’ve been traveling, as soon as I get to my hotel room, I turn the TV on and the Mets come back or hit a home run,” she said. “It happened 3 times last alone.”
