Yankees players react to viral video of girl, 10, pelting New York politician with water balloon
Yankees players Harrison Bader and Anthony Volpe, and hitting coach Sean Casey react to the viral video of 10-year-old Alexa Cardona pelting Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman with a water balloon, remarking on her "impressive" arm.
NEW YORK – One viral video capturing 10-year-old Alexa Cardona nailing a local New York politician in the back of the head with a water balloon during a Fourth of July parade last month unexpectedly landed her an invitation to the Yankees game Tuesday – where her throwing arm further impressed the pros in person.
Cardona, a rising fifth grader from Franklin Square, New York, attended batting practice with the Yankees in part due to the sense of humor of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who she pelted with the water balloon from some 100 feet away. The viral video of the moment has since been viewed more than 40 million times across social media platforms.
Familiar with the clip, Yankees center fielder Harrison Bader asked Blakeman, "That was you?" admitting a common misconception that could explain the video's massive viewership online: "I thought it was Mike Pence."
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Watching the video back on a cell phone, Bader erupted in laughter from the Bronx stadium, agreeing that Blakeman took the caught-on-camera water balloon pelting "like a man."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman displays a baseball with Alex Cardona while awaiting Yankees batting practice Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. (Fox News Digital)
"That was you? Good throw," Bader told Cardona, giving her a high-five on the field Tuesday.
"Where’d you learn that?" Bader asked the girl. "You play softball? Very impressive."
"Everybody thought that was Pence," Blakeman, who like the former vice president, also has white-gray tresses of hair, affirmed to Bader. "That was me that got hit."
Sean Casey, who spent the past 15 baseball seasons as an MLB studio analyst before the Yankees hired him as a hitting coach in June, even joked that Cardona should be recruited to the team in pinstripes.
Breaking out in chuckles when shown the video, Casey remarked, "Was that your arm?"
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, left, and Alexa Cardona, right, laugh about viral video during batting practice with Yankees player Harrison Bader. (Fox News Digital)
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"That’s actually good throw," Casey added, before autographing baseballs for Cardona and her sister.
"Sign her up," Blakeman joked of the girl, who says she has played softball for about two years.
"We could use you," Casey agreed. "That’s so good."
"That’s pretty good," Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe also added of the video during batting practice.
From their seats behind home plate afterward, Blakeman told Fox News Digital how he showed the video to Yankees President Randy Levine, who agreed to host Cardona and her family at the game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Alexa Cardona high-five by their seats at the Yankees game against Tampa Bay Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. (Fox News Digital)
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"I didn’t think it was going to blow up the way it did," Cardona said of the clip. "I was definitely aiming for him – not totally aiming for his head, but definitely aiming for him."
Officials say it's a tradition to throw water balloons at the Stewart Manor parade where Cardona struck Blakeman.
"I wasn’t going to let her know how much it stung," Blakeman joked. "Everybody was so impressed with her arm that the Yankees are thinking of signing her to a contract."
The Yankees probably could have used the extra arm. New York dropped Tuesday's game to Tampa Bay, 5-2.