Broadcaster Bob Costas appeared to get caught on a hot mic showing some reservation over having to read an ad for CNN during the TBS broadcast of Game 2 between the Yankees and Royals on Monday night.
With Royals reliever Angel Zerpa on the mound getting ready to throw a pitch, Costas seemed to be alerted that he had a promo read coming up for CNN, which he seemed to indicate put him in a “difficult spot.”
Why exactly that was wasn’t quite clear.
“A CNN promo?” Costas asks, seemingly unaware that he could be heard on the air.
“That puts me in a difficult spot,” he said after breaking a brief silence.
How the moment happened was a bit unclear.
As part of the broadcast setup, broadcasters have the ability to talk to the producers back in the production truck through a talkback button that mutes them from being heard on air and it’s unknown if Costas had thought he had hit the button and was saying that to a producer.
Costas has had a relationship with CNN since he joined the news network as a contributor in 2020.
The idea that TBS was airing a promo for CNN was also not out of the ordinary since Warner Bros. Discovery owns both TBS and CNN.
Costas has been calling the American League Division Series between the Yankees and Royals, but he has faced a lot of criticism from baseball fans over the way he’s called games.
Fans had demanded he be removed from the broadcasts during Game 1 for his sleepy call of the game and the criticism from fans on X continued on Monday night for Game 2.
The once-revered broadcaster is sure to draw even more attention with the odd hot mic moment during Monday’s game.
