Yankees fans were ready to send play-by-play man John Flaherty packing after he called a game-tying home run a pop up and jinxed the Rockies walk off.
The curse of the commentator is very real. Just ask the Yankees and play-by-play man John Flaherty, who had fans in New York cursing his name on social media after the Bronx Bombers got bombed in a 8-7 walk off loss to the Rockies on Sunday.
Colorado won the series with the victory, sending the Yankees back to the bottom of the AL East.
While fans have plenty of frustration to express over Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman and the entire Yankees organization, it was Flaherty’s turn in the crosshairs.
Yankees fans want to fire John Flaherty into the sun
Fans were first astounded by Flaherty’s reaction to the home run blast hit by Nolan Jones to tie things up in the bottom of the 11th. He actually said, “popped up” as the ball left the bat before traveling 450 feet into the stands.
John Flaherty’s initial reaction to a 450 foot absolute nuke was “popped up” pic.twitter.com/u3YQlObyhz
— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) July 16, 2023
Then Flaherty committed the most laughable form of jinxing you’ll ever see, pointing out how Alan Trejo had not hit a home run this year exactly a split second before the second baseman smacked a 421-foot walk off.
I never want to hear John Flaherty’s voice again pic.twitter.com/wWl9gJjx97
— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) July 16, 2023
That call was so perfectly disastrous that people on Twitter wondered if it was fake. It wasn’t. It was gloriously real. That really happened.
Have a look at some of the responses to Flaherty on Twitter:
John Flaherty is absolutely the right quality of PxP guy for a team that sucks as much as the Yanks.
— Ben K. (@bkabak) July 16, 2023
Even the Yankees play by play is dead
— Nicky Snacks (@NickySnacks_) July 16, 2023
“Popped up” - John Flaherty
No pal, it was a game tying 2 run home run. I hate this team and everything about them so much
“Popped up” - John Flaherty and out for a 2 run oppo bomb. Entire organization is a clown operation
— Gil Valle (@gilvalle3) July 16, 2023
John Flaherty could not have had a worse 11th inning there. The “pop-up” call on the first HR was egregious and then the “He hasn’t hit a HR in 120 at-bats this year” call and guy immediately hits a walk-off HR was the icing on the cake. Just unbelievable.
— Patrick Andrews (@pandrews_2) July 16, 2023
Never let John Flaherty do play by play again
— peter boland (YANKS ON TOP) (@baderbombsheltr) July 16, 2023
FIRE JOHN FLAHERTY
— shudude (@shudude77) July 16, 2023
DFA THE WHOLE BULLPEN
FIRE BOONE
FIRE CASEY
DFA HALF THE LINEUP
TELL JUDGE TO GET TF BACK IN THE LINEUP
Sunday’s game was a rollercoaster of emotions for the Yankees in general. Despite Gerrit Cole’s strong pitching performance, NY trailed 1-0 until the top of the sixth when they generated three runs courtesy of Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s single, Ryan McMahon’s throwing error and Anthony Volpe’s RBI grounder.
That all evaporated when CJ Cron hit an eighth-inning grand slam to put the Rockies up 5-3.
In the top of the ninth, another error by McMahon and Harrison Bader’s sacrifice fly tied things up at five apiece to force extra innings.
Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza each drove in a run as it looked like the Yankees would get out with a win. That’s when the two home runs spoiled the party.