On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Guardians earned their 71st win of the season by squeaking by the Chicago Cubs, 2-1. The two sides were tied at one apiece entering the sixth inning when Guardians slugger Jhonkensy Noel absolutely mashed a 430-foot homer that would prove to be the winning run for Cleveland.
What came after the home run, though, was shocking. The Guardians' broadcast team of Matt Underwood and Rick Manning gave Noel the appropriate praise as he rounded the bases. Then, upon replay, Manning dished out a tasteless line about how the pitcher, Drew Smyly, should feel about giving up the lead on a hit like that.
"Oh, Smyly. He wants to kill himself. He hung him a breaking ball and boy, Noel took advantage of it."
Rick Manning has no chill.
— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) August 14, 2024
Never heard a broadcaster say this before. pic.twitter.com/IVEfJ44Exi
One of those things you just should not say on a broadcast.
Manning played for Cleveland from 1975-1983 during his MLB career. He joined the broadcast booth for the team in 1990 and has remained as a color analyst ever since. It remains to be seen if there will be consequences for his insensitive comments last night.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Guardians Announcer Shocked MLB Fans With Tasteless Home Run Call.
