Another routine play botched during in-game baseball interview as the Head Coach decide his future with Astros
ESPN and Apple TV have started the trend of interviewing Major League Baseball players during live game action and it is producing some really awkward moments in the field. Specifically when the player being interviewed is part of an error or a botched routine play.
It happened again during Friday’s showdown between the Houston Astros and New York Mets.
As Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena was being interviewed by the Apple TV broadcast crew, he and third baseman Alex Bregman had something of a miscommunication on a routine pop-up on the infield that harmlessly fell between both players.
While it is interesting to have an opportunity to hear players during a game, they are also trying to compete and do their jobs and at the major league level they probably do not want (or need) distractions like this happening out in the field.
It is difficult enough to play at that level without having to do a live interview during the game. The television networks and the league ultimately have the final say on it, but if things like this keep happening players and teams are going to start eventually pushing back on it.
We’re three months into the regular season and essentially at the halfway point. Given that half a season’s worth of games have been played, there’s a big enough sample to determine which teams might be legitimate contenders and how the playoff race could shake up. In the coming weeks will be the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, and — shortly after that — a Trade deadline that will impact the rest of the season. With this all in mind, here’s what the playoff matchups would look like if the season ended today.
The Guardians haven’t missed a beat since our last update when they held the top spot in the American League. Sparking Cleveland’s turnaround from a 76-win season last year has been an offense that has transformed from an offense with the fourth-fewest runs scored in 2023 to a unit that’s been one of the best this season. After having just one player finish with 20 home runs last year (José Ramírez, 24), they already have two this season in Ramírez and Josh Naylor. The Guardians’ top hitter, though, has been Steven Kwan, who is flirting with .400 and hitting for more power.
A brutal stretch of injuries to Orioles pitchers has dampened their short-term outlook a bit, as they’ve seen season-ending injuries to Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells since the last postseason update. Still, the Orioles have more than weathered the storm and lead the Majors with 428 runs scored and rank third with a 3.37 ERA, thanks to the excellence of players like Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Burnes, Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez. By winning percentage, the Orioles (.630) have a narrow edge over the Yankees (.627) and have played two fewer games, thus giving them the edge in the AL East for now.
