Michael Irvin has never called a baseball game in his life, but he’s found his way to take part in the Home Run Derby.
Irvin told On3 he’ll be at Citizens Bank Park on July 13, and to be clear, he’s not there to break down swing mechanics or tell you why Junior Caminero has more pop than his listed exit velocity suggests.
“I’m so looking forward to going out and being around and showcasing the Home Run Derby for Netflix and interviewing guys to bring them on my White House show and everything,” Irvin said. “I know it’s in Philadelphia, so I’ve got to walk amongst them, but I’m willing. I’m willing. Let them know, I come in peace.”
Irvin has been one of Netflix’s most prominent sports personalities since the platform launched The White House in January — Netflix’s first original sports podcast — which Irvin co-hosts with Brandon Marshall twice weekly. The name comes from the legendary party house near the Cowboys’ practice facility during the 1990s dynasty. Irvin called himself “the president of the White House” in Netflix’s “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” docuseries. The house became infamous for the parties that happened there during Dallas’ Super Bowl years. Irvin described it as “a safe place for camaraderie,” which is certainly one way to put it.
“It really has been a beautiful union,” Irvin said about his relationship with Netflix. “It’s amazing because Netflix has such a great relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. It really works out.”
The Derby itself will run through Netflix’s established two-set format. Matt Vasgersian calls the swings alongside Hunter Pence and Anthony Rizzo, while Elle Duncan holds down a looser second set with Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols, talking with guests and reacting to the action rather than calling it. Duncan has described the format as deliberate on Netflix’s part, telling the Sports Media Watch podcast that the network wants to stay “very familiar to fans” while still doing “something very different.”
Netflix is also removing the swing clock for the first time since 2014, moving to a fixed allotment of 20 swings in the first round and 15 in each round after, with hitters allowed to keep swinging past their limit if they homer on the final cut of a round.
The Derby airs July 13 on Netflix, the first time ESPN won’t carry the event since 1994.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.