As much as Major League Baseball might try to portray a family-friendly product, the sport has a history of struggling to stay clean.
Monday night, the potential challenges of airing a live broadcast came to fruition when baseball fans watching the Tigers and Oakland A’s on Bally Sports Detroit were treated to a plethora of f-bombs. Most of the expletives came from Tigers shortstop Javy Baez, who went off on home plate umpire Nick Mahrley over a faulty strike zone.
After what was an erratic night behind the plate for Mahrley, a botched strike-three call in the ninth inning prompted a tirade from Baez and Tigers manager AJ Hinch, leading to both of their ejections. But it was the unmistakable f-bombs from Baez that really dominated the moment and even the broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit.
"You don't give a fuck"
Javy Baez and AJ Hinch were both ejected after arguing a third strike call pic.twitter.com/RjuYwVzfiF
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 10, 2022
After getting rung up, Baez turned to Marhley and, by my count, dropped four “f*ckings” before blasting the ump with a “you don’t give a f*ck.” Obviously, it’s not uncommon for MLB players or any professional athletes to utter profanity on the playing field or court. But it was surprising to see the Bally Sports Detroit cameras zoom in on the tirade from Baez while it was clear the f-bombs were being picked up by a nearby mic.
Following Baez’s “you don’t give a f*ck,” at least four more expletives could be heard before someone screamed a giant “F*CK.” If one f-bomb bleeds into a broadcast, no big deal. Two? OK. Maybe it can even take three before a producer thinks to make an audio adjustment or implore the broadcasters to start talking. But ten? That has to be some sort of regional sports network record.
