Ex-Red Sox Kiké Hernández Involved In ESPN Mic’d-Up Snafu With Dodgers

Kiké Hernández really pulled back the curtain Sunday night during ESPN’s broadcast of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals game.

The ESPN booth interviewed a mic’d-up Hernández during the third inning, offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Dodgers utility man as he played third base. Hernández, as both Dodgers fans and Boston Red Sox fans can attest, has a vibrant personality. So, it made a ton of sense.

The only problem was that the volume on Hernández’s PitchCom device — which tells players what pitch the pitcher is about to throw — was turned up too high. Fans (and potentially the Cardinals, if they were monitoring the broadcast) therefore were able to hear a robotic voice informing them of the ensuing offering from Dodgers starter Gavin Stone.

To watch (and hear) Hernández’s mic’d-up snafu, click here.

The whole thing actually was pretty cool. PitchCom is very much part of the game nowadays, but many folks probably didn’t know how it worked or what it sounded like. Hearing it say “changeup” or “fastball in” gives a little insight into just how straightforward the communication has become.

Still, the Dodgers probably would prefer that Hernández — or any other player — not inadvertently tip pitches in the future. LA won the game 5-4 thanks to a three-run eighth inning, but revealing pitch specifics obviously has the potential to cause problems.

We suspect ESPN will work to fix the matter. Or maybe Hernández should just turn down the volume a bit next time.