The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Texas Rangers 9-6 on Friday night in a game that was exciting right from the start and included one of the rarest moments in all of baseball. It also featured a classic error call from Matt Vasgersian on one of his calls.
With the Angels leading 7-6 in the eighth inning, Jared Walsh stepped up to the plate and fouled a 3-2 pitch off. That was at least the perspective of Vasgersian. In reality, Walsh’s ball sailed over the left field wall for a two-run home run.
https://twitter.com/Angels/status/1515160057595322369
If this feels like déjà vu, it is — in a way. Two days before Vasgersian’s mistake, New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling excitedly called a Giancarlo Stanton home run on a ball that was actually easily caught at the wall. So, Vasgersian isn’t alone here.
How does this compare to Sterling’s flub? In a way, it’s easier to understand. Vasgersian was broadcasting Friday’s game remotely, while Sterling was actually at Yankee Stadium for his snafu.
But Sterling is 83. People that age often don’t see things as well as they did in their younger years. Vasgersian, on the other hand, is 54. Age isn’t an excuse. Also, while remote broadcasters are at the mercy of their monitors, it’s hard to imagine what Sterling could have seen here. The camera feed that anyone watching the Bally Sports broadcast saw showed a ball that was clearly not foul. This was well off of the line.
Vasgersian is known for his excited calls, which often do result in errors. But this wasn’t a well-hit ball that fell just short of a home run. This was a ball that was fair by several feet being mistaken for a foul.
We can safely assume that Vasgersian will not be putting this one in his career highlight reel.
