MLB Analyst Brutally Flounders Mike Trout Interview Before Blurting Out Insensitive Question: Does Shohei Ohtani ‘Speak English?’

Brandon ContesJun 18th, 2021, 11:51 am
 

First-time Major League Baseball game analyst Rajai Davis had a nightmarish performance during his broadcasting debut Thursday night, to put it kindly.

Not everyone is cut out to be a broadcaster. Even for someone like Davis, who can handle pressure on the big stage, hitting one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history for the Cleveland Indians less than five years ago. But clearly, that kind of pressure doesn’t necessarily translate to the microphone.

Davis joined play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian and analyst Mark Gubicza to call the Los Angeles Angels vs Detroit Tigers Thursday night. At first, Davis simply sounded like a first-time broadcaster, freezing up during his chance to interview the sport’s best player Mike Trout, like many other inexperienced game analysts might.

“One thing, one thing I have for you man,” Davis began when it was his turn to ask Trout a question. “It’s uh, it’s, it’s ya know, um … I just lost my train of thought.”

Vasgersian attempted to break the uncomfortable moment, interjecting to inform Trout it was Davis’s first game as a broadcaster.

“He’s crushing it,” Trout said with a laugh.

It would have been for the better if his bad performance ended there, but unfortunately for Davis, he remembered the question for Trout.

“I know what it is now, Trout, I’m back, I’m ready,” Davis said stepping back into the interview. “Talking about Ohtani, how is he in the clubhouse? Is he the kind of guy where, does he speak English?”

That might not have been the original question Davis wanted to ask, maybe it was a desperate attempt at recovering from his lost train of thought. Shohei Ohtani is a unique star with his ability to dominate as a pitcher and hitter, making the baseball phenom the subject of your question is great. But there are better ways of asking Trout to comment on Ohtani, without insensitively blurting, “does he speak English?”

“How does an international superstar like Ohtani fit into your clubhouse?” would have been a more reasonable route.

Davis wasn’t put in a great spot to succeed Thursday night. The Angels-Tigers broadcast was YouTube’s MLB Game of the Week, with Davis and Vasgersian in a studio, while Gubicza was at the stadium. Vasgersian and Gubicza work together regularly as the Angel’s lead broadcast team, so Davis was already the odd man out. Although awkward, the set up shouldn’t lead to a performance as bad as Davis had.

If Davis gets another shot as a game analyst, the hope is that he already hit rock bottom in his broadcasting career.

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