An incredible World Series gave MLB fans another memorable moment in Game 6 on Friday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ defense miraculously escaped a jam in the bottom of the ninth to force a Game 7 in Toronto.
As everyone caught their breath from a chaotic final inning, Bill Simmons took aim at the Fox Sports broadcast team for missing an “important moment” at the end of the game.
Down two runs, the Blue Jays came up to bat and immediately got a runner on base when Dodgers closer Roki Sasaki hit slugger Alejandro Kirk with a pitch.
The hijinks really ensued with the next at-bat, as Game 1 hero Addison Barger hit a deep line drive that the umpires called a dead ball, awarding Barger a double under the pretense that the ball got stuck under the padding of the center-field wall.
That’s when Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow entered the game in relief, immediately forcing an infield pop-up. With runners on second and third and just one out, Toronto still appeared to be in a good position to make it a game.
However, longtime L.A. fan favorite Kiké Hernandez ran down a bloop into left field, then made it a double play by beating Barger with a throw to second base.
Watching at home, this is where Simmons took issue with Fox announcers Joe Davis and John Smoltz. The Ringer boss, never afraid to take shots at fellow media members, couldn’t believe that the broadcast didn’t address Barger’s base-running gaffe at all.
“Awesome Game 6. And kudos to Davis and Smoltz for mentioning Joe Carter 2300 times in the past hour but never mentioning how Barger inexplicably drifted off second and got nailed for the final out,” Simmons wrote on X. “Kind of an important moment!”
Awesome Game 6. And kudos to Davis and Smoltz for mentioning Joe Carter 2300 times in the past hour but never mentioning how Barger inexplicably drifted off second and got nailed for the final out. Kind of an important moment!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 1, 2025
Indeed, Barger appeared to misread the trajectory of his teammate’s line drive completely. When Hernandez snagged it, Barger was halfway to third base, giving the outfielder an easy throw to the top of the diamond to get him out and send the series to a deciding Game 7.
In fairness to Davis and Smoltz, a double play is one of the least likely scenarios off a fly ball in that situation. For Davis to have the awareness to go from a potential Blue Jays walk-off to suddenly a Game 7, while also acknowledging the replay review and all the other unique things going on in that play, is impressive in and of itself. Davis is a strong play-by-play announcer who knows baseball.
Still, this is where an experienced color commentator like Smoltz would typically step in to call attention to a player’s or manager’s mistake. The Fox tandem noted Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas’ impressive snag, the narrative around Glasnow closing the door, and the history of the first World Series Game 7 since 2019.
But they failed to address the key flub by breakout star Barger, which completed the Blue Jays’ collapse.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.