The Chicago Cubs dominated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-0 on Sunday night, but the biggest baseball mistake of the game came from the ESPN broadcast booth, not the field.
Late in the fourth inning, Cubs rookie Matt Shaw struck out swinging, which should have ended the inning. The players knew it. The umpire knew it. But apparently, the ESPN crew didn’t.
For several seconds, Karl Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, and David Cone remained silent, confused by the action as both teams trotted to their dugouts.
“Everybody’s coming off the field. I thought that was the second strike,” Ravech finally said. “But apparently it’s strike three, because both sides are in their dugouts.”
Fans Roast ESPN for Losing Track of the Count
The on-screen MLB graphics displayed a 3-1 count during the at-bat, causing the confusion. The awkward pause that followed was noticeable, and didn’t go unnoticed by fans on social media.
With the game already a blowout, some viewers joked that the ESPN team had “checked out” before the fifth inning even started.
While small slip-ups can happen in live sports, this one was especially embarrassing given the national stage of Sunday Night Baseball.
Between the Cubs’ rout and ESPN’s mix-up, it’s safe to say this was one game fans on both sides won’t forget anytime soon.
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