Is the announcer jinx a real thing? Well, it may depend on what team you root for. But after what took place in Monday’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies, even if you’re a fervent denier of the announcer jinx, perhaps consider that the reverse jinx may be a thing.
Jordan Westburg, the Orioles’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, stepped up to the plate in the top of the second inning of Monday’s contest. As the infielder dug into a 1-0 account against Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez, Ben McDonald, the Orioles color commentator for MASN, mentioned that the 24-year-old top prospect had yet to hit his first career home run
Well, that changed in an instant.
“Westy’s still looking for his first home run, speaking of home runs,” McDonald said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Less than 10 seconds after McDonald uttered those words, the Mississippi State product drove a flyball that hugged the foul pole in right field and just cleared the fence to give the O’s a 1-0 advantage.
“He drives this to right field, to the corner it goes, down the line it goes,” Orioles play-by-play voice Kevin Brown said. “And there’s No. 1.”
“That didn’t take much time, did it? Much more time,” McDonald quipped.
“The first major league home run for young Jordan Westburg,” Brown said. “He goes the other way and he finds the right field bleachers here in Philadelphia. 1-0 Baltimore.”
This isn’t the first instance of an announcer’s reverse jinx, but it is the timing that sets McDonald’s apart and makes it a truly amazing moment.
[Jomboy Media on Twitter]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.