Rob Gronkowski put on a spiking clinic across New England on Monday.
The former All-Pro tight end — who spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Patriots — took the mound at Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch before the Red Sox’s game against the Guardians and unsurprisingly put on a show.
Upon winding up for a pitch, Gronkowski, 34, did his celebratory touchdown spike instead as the hometown crowd went wild.
The four-time Super Bowl champ — whose party persona was a highlight throughout his 11-season career — was yelling and flexing his arms before he celebrated with Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck.
The two jumped in the air and bumped shoulders before Gronkowski exited the field with his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and television personality.
The Red Sox posted a video of Gronkowski’s first pitch on their X account with the caption: “Wouldn’t expect anything less from Gronk.”
A message from an accompanying post that featured the spike read, “Ceremonial first GRONK SPIKE.”
The “Gronk spike” made an appearance earlier in the day Monday when the five-time Pro Bowler spiked a football at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Gronkowski, the grand marshal of the Boston Marathon, spoke at the starting line of the race before heading to the finish line on Boylston Street to hype up the crowd, according to WCVB.
That’s when he did his Gronk spike and hoisted the Boston Marathon trophy.
Kostek also joined him at the race, according to her Instagram Story.
A second-round pick by the Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft, Gronkowski won three Super Bowls with New England, where he recorded 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns, along with 15 touchdown catches in the postseason.
Though he first retired from the NFL in March 2019, Gronkowski returned a year later to join pal Tom Brady on the Buccaneers, with the duo winning another Super Bowl together in February 2021.
Gronkowski called it a career for good after the 2021 season and has transitioned into broadcasting.
He has worked as an analyst with Fox Sports and appears regularly on FanDuel TV.
