Matt Vasgersian, John Sterling Both Botch Calls On Giancarlo Stanton Single During Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card Game
BOSTON (CBS) -- A one-game playoff situation creates a certain level of intensity -- for the players and for the broadcasters. Sometimes that intensity can lead to some mistakes.
ESPN play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian and Yankees radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling lived that struggle immediately during the Wild Card playoff game between the Yankees and Red Sox on Tuesday night.
With nobody on and two outs in the top of the first inning, Giancarlo Stanton stepped to the plate to face Nathan Eovaldi. On a 0-1 pitch, Stanton put a big swing on a slider, sending it high into the night sky in left field.
Vasgersian got a little excited.
"Oh, he got another one," Vasgersian said on the ESPN call. "HE GOT ANOTHER ONE!"
That call came just as the ball scraped the Green Monster, coming well short of clearing the 37-foot wall.
"No -- it's off the Monster!" Vasgersian said.
Stanton only ended up getting a single.
Perhaps both Stanton and Vasgersian got a little too excited about that one.
But they weren't alone.
Sterling's call for the Yankees' radio broadcast was even worse, as the legendary broadcaster still believed that the ball was gone even after it had bounced off the middle of the wall.
"There it goes -- deep left, it is high, it is far, it is gone! Out of the ballpark! A Stantonian home run!" Sterling shouted.
Sterling then noticed that Stanton was standing on first base.
"Now what -- what did I do wrong? What did I see wrong?" Sterling asked. "He's at first base."
On the TV broadcast, Vasgersian did get to call a home run in the first inning, as Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer to center field off Gerrit Cole to give Boston an early 2-0 lead. Vasgersian waited for that one to make it to the seats before declaring it to be gone.
