The scene came after the brilliant game pitched by the young New York right-hander against Boston, where he dominated his eternal rival. In the middle of the analysis table with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Burkhardt, “Big Papi” wanted to praise the rookie for his performance, but his attempt to pronounce his surname led to one of the most viral moments of the week in baseball.
“That boy… what’s his name? Hitler?” Ortiz said with a laugh, generating an immediate reaction of surprise and laughter among his fellow broadcasters.
Burkhardt, the host of the program, quickly intervened to correct him: “No, no, no! Schlittler, David! Schlittler!” Ortiz, laughing and somewhat blushing, raised his hands and admitted: “That’s why I better call him Cam!”
From Error to Praise
Beyond the slip, Ortiz was full of praise for the young Yankees pitcher, who had a spectacular night against his former team.
Schlittler pitched eight scoreless innings, with 12 strikeouts and no walks, to guide New York to a 4-0 victory over the Red Sox, a key result to keep their season alive.
“He’s got it, man. He’s got it. He’s got it,” Ortiz said, referring to the rookie’s talent and poise. “He was abusing us last night,” he admitted with a smile.
A new “ace” in the Bronx
At 22 years of age, Cam Schlittler has earned the attention of everyone in Major League Baseball. His dominance against Boston was so convincing that even a rival baseball icon like Ortiz did not hesitate to label him as a “potential ace”.The pronunciation incident went viral on social media, but far from being uncomfortable, it served to put even more spotlights on the name of the young pitcher.
The Yankees now prepare for their series against the Blue Jays, while Ortiz, along with Jeter and A-Rod, will remain at the Fox Sports table during playoff coverage, probably taking a little more care with each surname he has to pronounce.
Read the full article here
