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LA Angels troll Jayden Daniels with KISS star Gene Simmons’ extra first pitches

Nypost · · 316 words · By Valentina Martinez
Jayden Daniels Controversy Sports Social Media Trends
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What to know about Jayden Daniels Controversy

The Los Angeles Angels jumped on the bandwagon to poke fun at Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels — just like every other sports fan on the internet the past few days.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Los Angeles Angels jumped on the bandwagon to poke fun at Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels — just like every other sports fan on the internet the past few days.

Why it matters

Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, KISS legend Gene Simmons, along with his bandmate Paul Stanley, tossed the ceremonial first pitch.

Common ground

Well, truth be told, the bass player with the famously long tongue threw out multiple first pitches.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/sports/kiss-legend-gene-simmons-throws-out-angels-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “the Toronto Blue Jays took down the New York Yankees by a score of 4–1, with the former sharing on X, “Scored 4 to honor Jayden Daniels’ 5.””
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia entries about the city of Toronto and contains no information regarding a Blue Jays game against the Yankees or a related social media post about Jayden Daniels.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — City and provincial capital in Ontario, Canada Toronto[c] is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on a harbour at the northwestern s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Downtown Toronto is the city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the boundaries of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres (6.4 sq mi) in area, [1] bordered by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Toronto
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This page was last changed on 22 August 2026, at 03:50.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
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Claim 2: “Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, KISS legend Gene Simmons, along with his bandmate Paul Stanley, tossed the ceremonial first pitch.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley threw the ceremonial first pitch at an Angels game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on August 15.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; Hebrew: חיים ויץ [χaˈim ˈvits]; August 25, 1949), also known by his stage persona "the Demon", is an Israeli and American musician and songwriter. He was the bassist and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Simmons
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kiss (commonly styled in all caps as KISS) was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_(band)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and a founding member of the hard rock band Kiss, which was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Stanley
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “the bass player with the famously long tongue threw out multiple first pitches.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Gene Simmons threw four separate ceremonial first pitches during the event.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Watch Gene Simmons throw four separate ceremonial first pitches before the Royals vs. Angels game — a unique moment for fans of KISS and MLB.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/gene-simmons-multiple-first-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Gene Simmons turned one ceremonial first-pitch appearance into four throws at Angel Stadium, and the Los Angeles Angels quickly found a joke sitting right in front of them. The KISS co-founder took th…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gene-simmons-throws-four-f…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — KISS legends Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons each threw out a ceremonial first pitch Saturday night at the Los Angeles Angels game in Anaheim, California, but Simmons didn’t stop at one pitch.
https://consequence.net/2026/08/kiss-gene-simmons-four-first…
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Claim 4: “The Angels posted a picture of Simmons on X along with the caption: “He asked to throw a 5th pitch but we had to say no out of respect for Jayden Daniels.””
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm the Angels used Gene Simmons' attempt at a fifth pitch to troll Jayden Daniels regarding his jersey dispute.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There have been 23 managers in the history of the Los Angeles Angels Major League Baseball franchise. The Angels are based in Anaheim, California. They are members of the American League West division…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Los_Angeles_Angels_man…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles Angels are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The team has had four principal owners, and ten General Managers, since its inception in 1961.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Los_Angeles_Angels_own…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, within the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Angels
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 5: “The Cleveland Guardians’ posted: “Won by 5 because we’re not scared of Jayden Daniels,” after a 6–1 victory over the San Diego Padres.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the city of Cleveland and unrelated sports figures, with no mention of a social media post by the Cleveland Guardians regarding Jayden Daniels.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the Nationa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Brown
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — aThis is a list of several dozen National Football League (NFL) games and plays that have been given names by the media, football fans, and as part of a team's lore because of a distinctive play, unus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nicknamed_NFL_games_an…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Person of the Year, called Man of the Year or Woman of the Year until 1999, is an annual issue of the American news magazine and website Time featuring a person, group, idea, or object that "for bette…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Person_of_the_Year
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “After the New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals 4–1, the team’s social media team wrote on X, “Stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm the New York Mets posted 'stopped at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels' after a 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 season was the Washington Commanders' 93rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the first season under the tandem of general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, with other …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Washington_Commanders_sea…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the New York Jets' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall and their first under general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn. This season began …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Jets_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Malik Nabers (born July 28, 2003) is an American professional football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, finis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malik_Nabers
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Daniels brouhaha, whose legal team reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Louisiana State University over giving his former No. 5 jersey to a new player.”
CORROBORATED
While the provided Wikipedia snippets for Jayden Daniels focus on his career, the web search results for claims 3 and 4 explicitly reference the 'cease-and-desist letter to LSU over his old jersey number' as the context for the MLB teams' jokes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cognilize is a German virtual reality software developer best known for creating sports training simulation systems. It gained recognition for developing applications to help train American football p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognilize
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jayden Daniels (born December 18, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Daniels played three seasons of college fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayden_Daniels
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSU_Tigers_football
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.