The jokes about Cam Schlittler’s name already write themselves, and then David Oritz decided to write a new one out loud.
Schlittler will be on the mound for the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS after they escaped getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays with a 9-6 win Tuesday night in the Bronx. And during the postgame show on FS1, David Ortiz asked Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter if they could pronounce the stud rookie’s name.
After they all both passed the test, A-Rod spun it back to Ortiz, tasking Big Papi with pronouncing Schlittler’s name. But instead of trying, Papi just noted, “Sounds like Hitler,” garnering surprise from Burkhardt and Jeter, and a big fit of laughter from Rodriguez.
“Let’s go to a break, guys,” Jeter suggested as a sort of reset.
Ortiz then had a better idea, “Cam, I’m going Cam. I don’t want to get in trouble,” he said after his Hitler joke. “Cam, that’s it.”
Usually, the concern for broadcasters in saying Schlittler’s name is what it sounds like without one or two of the L’s. Just ask Ryan Ruocco. But at least credit Ortiz for finding a way to avoid that blunder.
This is why the MLB on Fox postgame show is known as baseball’s version of Inside the NBA. It offers a mix of insight, chemistry, jokes and candor. And as much as Jeter’s addition may have seemed like a forced marriage a few seasons ago, the former Yankees captain loosened up and now fits in well. So well, that he even knows how to pivot the show from Ortiz’s Hitler joke.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com