Wednesday’s broadcast of Game 2 in the Wild Card series between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers featured a significant diversion from the action in a key moment that was hard for viewers to ignore.
The Mets made it into the postseason after a drama-filled victory in the first of a doubleheader to end the season against the Atlanta Braves.
Unfortunately for Mets fans, they found themselves on the opposite end of the dramatics in Wednesday’s matchup. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell capped off a three-run rally to give the Brewers a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth inning.
In the ninth, the Brewers handed the ball off to their reliever Devin Williams to close it out and force a Game 3 in the series.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more intriguing, high-intensity situation in all of sports than the ninth inning of a close postseason game.
But instead of focusing on the action on the field, ESPN decided that it was a good idea to cut away from the action to interview Garrett Mitchell about his clutch hit.
“I’ve been getting ready since probably about the fourth inning,” Mitchell told ESPN on-field reporter Jesse Rogers. “So, just trying to stay active and ready to go. You never know with Murph, it could be coming into go play in the outfielder. It could be to DH like it was tonight. But just trying to stay prepared and ready to go for moments like this.”
There was then an extremely abrupt cut back onto the field that barely caught Mets infielder Jose Iglesias swinging at the first pitch. That ended up being a fly ball hit to right field, caught by the Brewers for the out.
Viewers at home didn’t get to see what type of pitch came out of Williams’ hand. And while they didn’t miss anything exceptional on the field, many around the sports media world voiced confusion and anger on social media over the poorly timed in-game interview.
“I’ve seen a lot of bad sports broadcasting moments, we laugh and move on,” wrote Shaun Morash, the host of the Evan and Tiki Show on WFAN. “Now this, this sh*t is unacceptable. Two fan bases feel like their season is on the line. They come at you ESPN because it’s the only place the game is on, you cannot pull this in a big moment.”
“At this juncture of the game, you can’t be doing this,” wrote D.J. Short of NBC Sports’ Rotoworld.
“9th inning in-game interview,” wrote Mookie Alexander of SB Nation. Who is this benefitting?”
If you are ESPN, you have to properly weigh the risks and benefits that go along with an in-game interview at a time like this.
Sure, Garrett Mitchell’s home run was ultimately the deciding factor in this game and a monumental moment in the series. But when there is action still happening on the field, is it worth it to talk to Mitchell now instead of after the game?
Even looking at it from Mitchell’s perspective, the decision to interview him at that moment made little sense. You would have to assume Mitchell would prefer to watch the ninth-inning action over talking with Rogers about his hit.
In-game interviews are already incredibly unpopular with many baseball fans . And this isn’t even the first in-game interview in this series that ESPN has caught flak for .
There is something admirable and important to a broadcast network letting a key moment breathe and letting fans take in the tenseness of a close postseason game. Simply put, ESPN failed to do that on Wednesday night.
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