Sliding mitts are becoming a thing in baseball and some players like Bryce Harper are going for a more decorative look in honor of the beloved Philadelphia Phillies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic.
But if you aren’t from Philadelphia or a Phillies fan, the Phanatic may not be the first green creature that comes to mind. And that’s what happened to Atlanta Braves announcer Brandon Gaudin on Thursday night.
As the Braves were hosting the Phillies, Harper was on second base in the eighth inning when he pulled out an enormous green sliding mitt with googly eyes. But instead of his mind first going to the team’s mascot, Gaudin thought that the Philadelphia All-Star was paying homage to Oscar the Grouch. And after realizing his mistake, he was ready to pack it in for the rest of the evening.
They thought Bryce Harper’s sliding mitt was oscar the grouch 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/sCTyAHWevP
— skylar (@skylarrmariie) April 11, 2025
“How about that oven mitt, Oscar the Grouch?” Gaudin asked.
Broadcast partner C.J. Nitkowski interrupted that it was probably the Phillie Phanatic. And then Brandon Gaudin lost it in a fit of laughter.
“What time is it? I’m going to go ahead and unplug my mic and head home at this point. I saw Oscar the Grouch, that is immediately what I saw,” Gaudin said while trying to speak through the laughter behind the microphone.
It could have been worse, at least Gaudin didn’t say Big Bird, Bert, or Ernie. Oscar the Grouch and the Phillie Phanatic are the same color after all. Bryce Harper has had a few grumpy moments over the years, so maybe it wasn’t entirely out of the question. You can always count on some moments of levity in the Atlanta Braves broadcast booth.
