She's got 49 million (!) Instagram followers. But can she hit?

September 2nd, 2022

Since rising to internet superstardom that at one point earned her the title of "most-followed user on TikTok," Charli D'Amelio has been everywhere -- and so have her parents, Marc and Heidi D'Amelio.

Together with sister Dixie, they're the stars of the Hulu reality series, "The D'Amelio Show," which begins its second season on Sept. 28. Between that and Charli's numerous other projects keeping her in the public eye (and posting to an Instagram audience of more than 49 million!), she's significantly busier than your average 18-year-old.

Recently, Charli and her parents spent an afternoon as the invited guests for the fifth episode of Celebrity Sluggers, a new series from MLB Originals that finds notable celebrities/entertainers sharing a bit about themselves, their projects and their personalities while facing off against a pitching machine offering up fastballs of varying velocities, hosted by Hannah Stocking.

But while recent episodes of Celebrity Sluggers mostly showcased stars like Aubrey Plaza, D'Arcy Carden, JoJo Siwa and Brandon Perea taking their hacks in the batter's box, this one presented a different challenge.

With three members of the D'Amelio family on hand in their finest Yankees jerseys, that meant a bit of a changeup was in order. Charli was first to take her swings against the pitching machine, while Marc and Heidi lounged in beach chairs at third base enjoying fruit punch and a charcuterie board.

That presented a special challenge for Charli, who, if she hit the target in front of her parents, could pick one of them to step in for her as a pinch-hitter.

"It's definitely intimidating, having my parents right there as a target, but I feel like they're being very encouraging, which is nice," she told MLB.com of her challenge on the diamond. Charli also touched on her family's visit to the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium this past July, noting that, "it was cool to watch players that don't always play together" suit up for the Midsummer Classic.

Marc and Heidi, meanwhile, did get a chance to step in the box once Charli hit that target. Wearing a Derek Jeter No. 2 jersey, Marc blasted line drives all over the field, even jogging all the way around the bases on a few of his home runs.

They also spoke with excitement about the opportunity to participate in such an event and watch Charli do her best, with Heidi noting that, "We've played as a family before, just goofing around, and when she puts her mind to it, she really can hit!"

As big Yankees fans, the D'Amelios also especially enjoyed Giancarlo Stanton's massive home run at the All-Star Game, which was Marc's very first trip to Dodger Stadium. He also offered up his memory of attending Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS -- the first of four straight games his beloved Yankees would lose to the Red Sox in a now-classic postseason showdown.

The upcoming final episode of the first season of Celebrity Sluggers will feature actor Xolo Maridueña (of the Netflix series “Cobra Kai”).

Following each episode, MLB will make a donation to Stand Up To Cancer in the name of the participating Celebrity Slugger. It’s the latest program from MLB Originals, a content slate of series and longform features around baseball stories on and off-the-field, including the acclaimed mic’d up series PLAY LOUD.