Phillies Announcer Takes Hilarious Random Jab At Division Rival
The Philadelphia Phillies announcer had some fun with a division rival on Monday night.
The Philadelphia Phillies won handedly against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night by a score of 7-0, but one of the more entertaining moments came from the announcing crew.
In the top of the fifth inning, J.T. Realmuto hit a double that scored Kyle Schwarber from first base. As Schwarber is not known for his speed, some were surprised he was able to make it all the way home. Among those was Philadelphia announcer Scott Franzke.
While celebrating the double and making the call for the play, Franzke made a joke that included rival infielder Marcell Ozuna from the Atlanta Braves.
"It's going all the way to the corner, Kyle Schwarber is showing off that sprint speed," said Franzke with a laugh. "Who said he ain't fast? [Marcell] Ozuna never would have scored."
The reactions to the call were exactly what you would expect. Phillies fans laughing and Atlanta fans complaining.
Franzke has done sports commentary since 1997 and has been in Philadelphia since 2006. He is very aware of the rivalry between the two clubs and is playing into it for the Phillies fans.
Ozuna makes for an easy target because of the hot start to the season that he has had. He is on the minds of many thanks to his .338/.404/.713 slashing line to start the season with nine home runs in 20 games.
When digging into the numbers though, there might be some truth to the joke that Franzke made. According to Baseball Savant's data, Schwarber is actually faster than Ozuna.
The lefty Philadelphia slugger has a sprint speed of 24.6 feet per second this season and a running value of seven. The Braves hitter has a running value of two and a sprint speed of 23.9 for this season.
Truth or not, it was just a fun moment that highlights what makes baseball so special.
