MLB Twitter mocks Chris Russo’s frigid take on final at-bat of World Baseball Classic title game
Most baseball fans agree that Shohei Ohtani striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout on Tuesday night was a scintillating end to a tremendous World Baseball Classic.
But not televised personality Chris Russo. The "Mad Dog," as some like to call him, had eyeballs rolling out of their heads after claiming on ESPN's "First Take" talk show that he was unimpressed by the way the World Baseball Classic championship game ended.
He rambled on that he was "bored stiff" by the moment and questioned why so many found the moment to be the stuff of memories. He said:
"We're going to make this out to be an epic at-bat? ... Why, because they're teammates?"
wtf is this https://t.co/z7nA1GX96T
Ranting that Trout strikes out 175 times a year, a figure he's never come close to except in 2014, when he whiffed 184 times, he continued:
"They’re making this at-bat out to be the greatest at-bat in the history of Major League Baseball. It’s March 21, can we take it easy?"
Baseball fans around the world once again saw Russo's diatribe for what it was: Bombastic schtick.
@TalkinBaseball_ I think we’ve finally reached a point where 99% of the public are no longer fazed by Skip and Russo takes.
We know now that it’s click-bait and they have little to no basis. We can just laugh at the absurdity of it.
@TalkinBaseball_ Absolute garbage.
@TalkinBaseball_ You kinda get the feeling sometimes that none of these guys actually dig sports.
Russo, who hosts "High Heat" on MLB Network, is known for his own particular brand of gruff haranguing since hosting a radio show on New York's WFAN sports station. His MLB Network show is one of the lowest-rated shows on the channel and is often pre-empted by baseball games in the summer months.
@TalkinBaseball_ “All he does is strikeout” https://t.co/ZG6foAekiN
@TalkinBaseball_ Trouts max strikeouts in a year since 2015- 158. After that- 139. Average of 123 strikeouts per year. But yes, he “strikes out 175 times per year”
@TalkinBaseball_ “Trout does nothing but strikeout” https://t.co/oB3KZsXqny
Russo's debate opponent, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, sat with his mouth agape as his fellow debater kept making snide comments about the ending of the World Baseball Classic, until he finally exclaimed:
"You don’t want to see Shohei Ohtani against just anybody. You want to see him against the likes of somebody like Mike Trout. You want to see him go up against Mike Trout. It ain’t no intentional walk. It ain’t no strategy. It’s me against you, baby. Let’s get it on."
@TalkinBaseball_ https://t.co/oeHg6tHqCH
@TalkinBaseball_ Just so we’re clear Mike Trout has struck out 175 times *checks notes* ONCE in his 12 year career
@TalkinBaseball_ The epicness doesn't come from the result
It's the buildup
The anticipation
The fact that it could've easily not happened
The fact that two team captains, who are indeed teammates, faced off in the final AB
And you know what, the result *did* add to it, cuz Japan won it all.
Most fans seem to agree that the sooner Russo gets his walking papers, the better.
@TalkinBaseball_ I think mad Dog needs to be DFA’d
World Baseball Classic viewership way up in 2023
Ratings for the World Baseball Classic were way up for this year's tournament. Team Japan's 3-2 win over Team USA in the title game logged 5.2 million viewers for Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes combined.
The 4.48 million that watched the FS1 broadcast surpassed viewership numbers for Game 5 of the 2022 National League Championship Series, where the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres to advance to the World Series.