Netflix made a big mistake during Giants vs Yankees broadcast that had MLB fans livid, and Tony Vitello was right in the middle of it
Former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello made his MLB regular season debut on Wednesday night.
Former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello made his regular season MLB debut on Wednesday night.
But it was far from a normal MLB experience.
Vitello, who left Tennessee last October to become the new manager of the San Francisco Giants, led his team against the Yankees in a game that was broadcast on Netflix.
Netflix, which is known more for binge-worthy TV series and cheap original movies than sports broadcasting, went a little overboard with the gimmicks on Wednesday night.
From having a cable car on the field before the game during player intros to John Cena awkwardly explaining new rules to fans, it was….extra.
Netflix doesn’t air the first ABS challenge because they were interviewing Tony Vitello
One of the new rules that Cena explained before the game was the ABS system (automatic ball-strike) that is making its MLB debut this season.
It’s one part of the game that’s not just new to Vitello, it’s new to everyone in the big leagues.
Teams get two ABS challenges per game. If you win, you keep the challenge. If you lose, you don’t keep the challenge.
In the top of the fourth inning of the Yankees’ Opening Day win over the Giants, the first ABS challenge in MLB regular season history happened.
And no one saw it because Netflix was interviewing Vitello in the dugout.
The call was upheld, but fans didn’t get to see the fancy ball-strike animation that reveals whether the call was correct or not.
This is what it’s supposed to look like.
Netflix was clearly targeting non-baseball fans with their broadcast on Wednesday. And I get it. They’re trying to draw in new viewers. But they need to remember that baseball fans mostly just want to see the action that’s happening on the field. And they certainly wanted to see the first ever ABS challenge in its entirety. But Netflix, unfortunately, blew it.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Tony Vitello details the part of leaving Tennessee for the Giants that he ‘wouldn’t wish on anybody’
Former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello will make his MLB regular season debut on Wednesday night.
