SI

Audio Issues in ESPN's Tigers-Astros Broadcast Led to Countless Jokes by MLB Fans

The broadcast started to sound like vintage AM radio.

Tom Dierberger

The Tigers took Game 1 of the AL wild-card series with a 3–1 win over the Astros on Tuesday.
The Tigers took Game 1 of the AL wild-card series with a 3–1 win over the Astros on Tuesday. / ESPN
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ESPN ran into some rough audio issues during its television broadcast of Game 2 of the AL wild-card series between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

In the middle of the game, the normally crystal-clear audio of broadcasters Michael Kay, Tim Kurkjian and the rest of the crew sounded fuzzy for an extended amount of time—almost like it was a vintage baseball game broadcast on AM radio.

In a critical moment of the game, the audio sounded so poor that the Astros' official social media account decided to post a highlight with no sound.

Kay, serving as the play-by-play announcer on the broadcast, apologized for the technical difficulties that lasted for an extended amount of time. The audio issues appeared to be fixed by the time Detroit took a 5–2 lead in the eighth inning.

MLB fans, while enjoying the game, dropped their jokes on social media:

If the Tigers are able to close out Game 2, they will advance to the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians. If they lose, Detroit and Houston will square off in Game 3 of the wild-card series on Thursday,

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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