White Sox announcer body shames Lance Lynn for poor start

Chicago White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone took a shot at pitcher Lance Lynn, who is struggling with the pitch clock.

It’s been a tough season for Lance Lynn, who Stone thought was one of many MLB pitchers struggling to the league’s new pitch clock on the fly. Lynn is winless on the season with an ERA over seven. He’s given up 22 runs in just five appearances.

Something’s gotta give for Lynn and the White Sox as a whole, whose start leaves much to be desired from a fanbase desperate for some sort of winning trend. Chicago has one of the more talented rosters in baseball from top to bottom, but just hasn’t been able to put it all together. Last season’s second-place AL Central finish was a disappointment. This year hasn’t been much better.

Nonetheless, as frustrated as baseball fans in Chicago are, there’s a clear line those who cover and root for the team should not cross when questioning the players. Stone crossed that line this week.

White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn body-shamed by announcer

Steve Stone, in an appearance on 670 The Score in Chicago, suggested that Lynn should eat healthier if he’s struggling with the pace of the game.

Anyone else cringing? Because I am.

The implication here is that Lynn’s weight has something to do with his performance on the mound. There’s very little evidence to support this, as Lynn’s size hasn’t come into question his entire career, let alone this season in the South Side.

“If there’s something new and you struggle, their going to blame that or say that’s the issue. That’s just the way it is. I’ve never even paid attention to the clock. When the clock came in this offseason, they were like, ‘Hey, here’s your normal times. You’re not going to be a problem.’ So it’s not something that I’ve worried about. It’s not something that I’ve concentrated on in bullpens or anything like that,” Lynn said on A.J. Pierzynski’s podcast Foul Territory. “The problem right now is I’m not executing pitches in situations with runners on base, and I’ve given up multiple runs in big innings because I haven’t thrown the ball where I have wanted to.”

The fact he even had to address such a silly notion is a shame to begin with.