MLB Analyst Appears to Mock Shohei Ohtani with Fake Accent, Later Apologizes for the Apparent Racist Joke

Detroit Tigers analyst and Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jack Morris attempted a fake accent while talking about Shohei Ohtani Tuesday night.

With Ohtani at the plate for the Los Angeles Angels, Tigers play-by-play voice Matt Shepard asked Morris what he would do if he was on the mound pitching to the MLB superstar from Japan.

“Be very, very careful,” Morris replied on the Tigers TV affiliate Bally Sports Detroit. But in his response, Morris replaced the “r” sounds in a way that appeared to mock an Asian accent. Others on social media wondered if Morris was attempting an Elmer Fudd impression.

This is the second time in recent weeks where at-home audiences were left to decipher whether or not they heard a racist insult on a baseball broadcast. Last week, a fan at Coors Field was believed to have shouted racial slurs at Lewis Brinson of the Miami Marlins, but the Colorado Rockies later determined he was yelling “Dinger,” for the team’s mascot.

If Morris was doing an Elmer Fudd impression, it was a really bad one. Morris has not leaned on Elmer Fudd to dig out of this controversy and later issued an apology to Ohtani during the broadcast.

“It’s been brought to my attention and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community, for what I said about pitching and being careful to Jose, er, Shohei Ohtani,” Morris said. “I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and I don’t blame a pitcher for walking him.”

Even during his apology, Morris stumbled with Ohtani’s name, accidentally calling him “Jose,” before correcting himself with “Shohei.”

Morris is not the first sportscaster forced to apologize to Ohtani this year. With the superstar being deemed the new face of baseball, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith questioned how that’s possible when he uses an interpreter during interviews. Smith later apologized for the bad take. With his exceptionally rare ability to dominate at the plate and on the mound, Ohtani is one of the sport’s most attractive draws.

Watch above via Bally Sports Detroit