Did ESPN miscount Kyle Schwarber’s Home Run Derby total?

A Twitter user thought they caught ESPN in a pickle during the Home Run Derby, but it turns out they corrected themselves on the fly with Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber eventually fell to Albert Pujols, which allowed the MLB legend to advance to the second round, where he would eventually lose to Juan Soto. However, Schwarber and Pujols went to a swing-off, one of the most thrilling moments in the competition.

Schwarber lost by one home run in the end, but some viewers thought ESPN miscounted the total on purpose in an effort to help Pujols advance. Could this be true?

Yet, some have theorized otherwise. It’s very unlikely the broadcast partner of MLB, or even the league itself, would have so much power over any single event. Here’s what happened instead:

Did ESPN rig the Home Run Derby for Albert Pujols?

First off, if the Derby was rigged for Pujols, why have him lose in the second round to Soto?

Instead, Schwarber’s total did appear to be off by a home run live, but they corrected it after the fact, which is why the players were tied.

Or, as some viewers noted in the responses to this tweet, the fly ball that mlbupdates is referring to fell well short of the warning track.

Karl Ravech miscalled a number of home runs on his own account, which isn’t a good look for the network as a whole. What ever happened to Chris Berman’s ‘Back, Back, Back…Gone!’. The days of simplicity are long gone.

Rather, Schwarber wasn’t inclined to lose to Pujols — there’s nothing better than defeating an MLB legend, especially one who has over 600 home runs to his name. Pujols may be in his final days as a big-league player, but let’s not play down his overall power.

Schwarber wants to see his name in lights.