Alyssa Thomas picked up a baseball this week, and somehow it became another referendum on her standing in the WNBA. The Phoenix Mercury forward and teammate Kahleah Cooper were invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Chase Field on Mercury Night, a routine crossover between Arizona’s two biggest sports franchises. For most athletes, that would have been the whole story. Except for Thomas, it wasn’t.

The invitation landed just over a week since her one-game suspension for making contact with Caitlin Clark’s throat during an Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury game. This incident has the league fandom in splits. Some fans believe Thomas was unfairly punished for a moment blown out of proportion. Others think the punishment should have been harsher, given who was on the receiving end. That divide followed her straight onto the pitcher’s mound.

On the field, neither pitch was the problem. “I think the biggest thing is just trying to get to home plate, not trying to throw too hard. I’m just trying to get to the glove,” Thomas said ahead of her pitch. Both she and Cooper threw strikes, and Mercury head coach Nate Tibbets was happy to compare arms afterwards.

“I think AT probably has a better arm. Kahleah looks like a wild reliever. We’ll see. She’s got a lot of confidence, though,” Tibbetts said, as per Julia Lopez. “It’s exciting just to be able to share this experience with them. Hopefully we get them out to a game too.”

What followed the pitch was where the moment turned. Social media reactions quickly shifted from the throw itself to Thomas’ recent history, with some fans accusing the Diamondbacks of a tone-deaf PR decision.

Mercury’s MLB Crossover Turns Into PR Problem For Arizona Diamondbacks After Choosing Alyssa Thomas For First Pitch

“Surprised AT didn’t throw at his head,” wrote a fan. “Tell them to pretend the catcher’s glove is Caitlin Clark and they’ll punch one right in the zone,” pitched in another. Thomas has been heavily under the radar for her rough play in the WNBA for a while now. And it is not limited to her controversial play on Clark. 

She pulled Angel Reese to the ground for a Flagrant foul in 2024, and was also involved in the play that injured Napheesa Collier’s ankle last year. Because of this sketchy past, some fans did not appreciate the Diamondbacks opting for Thomas in their collaboration with the Phoenix Mercury. 

“Disgusting.  Diamondbacks should have withdrawn the invitation after her assault on Clark,” wrote a fan. “Thomas really! 🤐 She is such a bad example and a Bullie, no class at all. Disappointed in Dbacks!” commented another. 

It is worth separating perception from proof here. There is no evidence the foul on Clark was intentional, and the muted reaction from both players in the moment has been cited by some as a sign the incident was overblown after the fact. The same argument extends to her earlier moments as well. Physical, competitive play has long been part of how Thomas operates, in a league that itself ran hotter on contact in past seasons than it does now.

“Flagrant after the play. Suspended 5 more games,” joked another fan. The discipline angle is where this heads next. Thomas has accumulated two points under the WNBA’s revised flagrant foul system, introduced for the 2026 season. Each point carries a $500 fine. That puts her at $1,000 fine and one-game suspension, already served against the Toronto Tempo. Four more points would push her to six, the threshold for an automatic two-game suspension.

None of that changes the optics problem. The Indiana Fever carry the largest fanbase in the league, and Clark remains its most visible player. Choosing Thomas for a feel-good crossover so soon after the incident was, at minimum, a timing misjudgment, regardless of intent.