Rick Porcello makes ESPN baseball crew look foolish after huge hit off Max Scherzer

Being a baseball broadcaster can be tough. Talking on live television for three hours straight is challenging enough, but when you add in the general randomness of the game, even the best predictions can wind up looking foolish.

That’s precisely what happened during Monday’s ESPN broadcast of the Washington Nationals-Boston Red Sox game. In the second inning, the entire ESPN baseball crew was served a big plate of crow by Rick Porcello after he came through with a huge hit.

No one expected Rick Porcello to come through against Max Scherzer

During his first at-bat of the night, Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello found himself in a rough spot. The Red Sox were in prime scoring position. They had loaded the bases with two outs, and it was up to Porcello to bring a run home.

Porcello wouldn’t have to do it against any pitcher, though. He would have to do it against Nationals ace Max Scherzer.

What did the ESPN baseball crew say about Rick Porcello?

The crew wasn’t complementary. After Porcello’s first swing, they start to express some pretty extreme doubt about his chances. Take a listen.

Here are some of the quotes that stood out to us:

• “You made this seem like this was a battle right here. I mean, this is unfair right now.”
• “Alex Cora facetiously told us before, ‘Yeah, that’s going to be a great at-bat.’ And he implied that he would tell Porcello, ‘Don’t even swing, there’s no point in that. He’s too good.'”
• “As long as you have a bat in your hand, anything can happen. But in this case, I think we know.”

How did Rick Porcello prove the ESPN baseball crew wrong?

On the 0-2 pitch, Porcello belted a bases-clearing double over the head of the Nationals’ left fielder. As he hits it, you can tell the ESPN broadcasters are incredulous.

Porcello’s hit wound up playing a big role in the Red Sox’s 4-3 win.

Why did the ESPN crew rip Rick Porcello?

It’s pretty obvious, right? A pitcher was at the plate in a big spot against arguably the best pitcher in baseball. That’s not usually a recipe for success. No one expected Porcello to come through against Scherzer. If they claim they did, they are lying.

You probably did the same thing, but in the safety and comfort of your home. The ESPN broadcasters didn’t have that luxury. And when you get proven wrong to this degree on a huge, public stage, you have to deal with the Internet roasting you for a while.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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