In trying to get the viewer as close to the field as possible, some sports broadcasts will insert on-field mics. It can bring a more natural feel to the game and gets you closer to the sounds that even people in the stands can’t get hear.
Sometimes, that backfires and some bad language gets picked up over one of the on-field mics. Sometimes, like what happened tonight with Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill, a bunch of profanities get picked up over one of the on-field mics.
After there was literally nobody on the left side of the field, Rays first baseman Ji-man Choi laid down a perfect bunt to the open area for an easy hit. Even though it was the first inning with two outs and nobody on base, Hill was incensed that the Dodgers gave up a hit that easily and let out a bunch of F-bombs that were picked up for the broadcast, partly because Tropicana Field was enjoying one of its typically sparse crowds.
Rich Hill is not a fan of the shift. pic.twitter.com/0SKcXdMkTX
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) May 23, 2019
Beating the shift is easier said than done, and though it sounds obvious, a smart batter can reach base by hitting the ball where the other team isn’t. The shift is proven to work, but when a hitter is able to lay down a perfect bunt, there’s no way that he won’t reach base. That’s what Choi did and that’s why, even though it was the first inning, Hill was pissed off.
For whatever it’s worth, Choi was forced out at second to end the inning two pitches later, and the Rays ended up rolling to an 8-1 victory. Choi faced Hill two more times, the Dodgers shifted him two more times (though the shift the third time around wasn’t as heavy as either of the first two times), and Choi didn’t hit the ball out of the infield either time – one was a tapper back to Hill on the mound, and one was a sharp ground ball up the middle that deflected off Hill for an infield single.
