How did baseball fans respond to sports commentating legend Bob Costas’ return to MLB?
Sportscaster Bob Costas returned to the MLB to call an entire playoff series for the first time in more than two decades and he’s received mixed reviews.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas and his velvety voice have returned to the MLB to call an entire playoff series for the first time in more than two decades, and his performance has received mixed reviews from baseball fans.
The 70-year-old last did full duties for a postseason series in 2000 for the ALCS which aired on NBC. Then TBS recently announced that Costas and analyst Ron Darling would be calling the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees.
Shane or Justin?
The biggest highlight of his return so far took place in Game 2 of the ALDS, when he mistakenly called Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber, Justin Bieber.
As expected, the Twitter universe was quick to react.
Harsh words for Costas
The announcers were able to turn that mistake into an amusing moment at the broadcasting booth, but baseball fans minced no words as they critiqued other aspects of Costas’ work. Mostly, they commented on his verbosity, particularly when sharing baseball trivia. Some also mentioned that he did not seem very objective in his coverage.
In defense of the veteran broadcaster
However, some were happy to have him on air, not just for his voice but also for his insights.
Yankees vs. Guardians schedule
TBS is exclusively airing the 2022 American League Division Series, which has Costas, Darling, and reporter Lauren Shehadi as the broadcast team for the Yankees-Guardians showdown. Here is the schedule for the remaining games of this series.
| DATE | GAME | TIME | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 15 | Yankees at Guardians, Game 3 | 7:37 p.m. | TBS |
| Sunday, Oct. 16 | Yankees at Guardians, Game 4 | 7:07 p.m. | TBS |
| Monday, Oct. 17 (if necessary) | Guardians at Yankees, Game 5 | 7:37 p.m. | TBS |