
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report 'serious' abuse at Celtic Park
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report serious abuse at Celtic Park
Paul Byrd apologized for an awkward interview with Mike Yastrzemski after the Braves' victory over the Red Sox. His comments, intended to praise team contributions, were misinterpreted as a slight towards Yastrzemski.
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Credit: BravesVision
Mike Yastrzemski was the hero on Friday night for the Atlanta Braves as they defeated his grandfatherās former team, the Boston Red Sox, thanks to his walk-off hit in the 10th inning. But when trying to find a way to compliment the Braves outfielder, BravesVision interviewer Paul Byrd caused an unintentional firestorm.
Byrd was a longtime former pitcher, playing for seven teams across 14 seasons in the Major Leagues. He began his second stint with the Braves as a reporter for games in 2025.
After he was done interviewing Yastrzemski, he tried to make a comment about how valuable it was to have everyone on the team contributing, not just their superstars, throwing it back to the booth. However, the way it came out could have been perceived as a bit of a diss towards the man who just had the game-winning hit.
āAbsolute blast to cover, great interview, works hard, does it all, again, not the superstar MVP-caliber, but one of the best on this team at coming through,ā Byrd said.
Naturally, the comments caught quite a bit of attention on social media, given the ānot the superstar MVP-caliberā remark.
But Paul Byrd set the record straight. Although he isnāt on social media himself, he recordedĀ an audio apology that fellow Braves broadcaster C.J. NitkowskiĀ posted on social media. Nitkowski also said that Yastrzemski took no offense himself.
āByrdie is a champion of players and wants to bring their stories to you with the greatest appreciation and perspective that he can. That is what last night was. Byride is not on social media, but he wanted to share his thoughts with Braves Country. He is a sweetheart of a man, friend and teammate, we are lucky to have him,ā Nitkowski said.
Paul Byrd attempted to compliment the Braves' team contributions but his wording was misinterpreted as a slight towards Yastrzemski.
Byrd apologized because his comments were perceived as disrespectful to Mike Yastrzemski, who had just delivered a game-winning hit.
Mike Yastrzemski was the hero of the game, hitting a walk-off in the 10th inning against the Boston Red Sox, his grandfather's former team.
Paul Byrd is a former Major League pitcher who played for seven teams over 14 seasons and began his role as a Braves reporter in 2025.

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āWhat I meant was heās a baseball guy. A grinder guy who works hard, heās played a huge role in his team, and he keeps coming through, so donāt miss that and donāt miss him. Me saying heās not a superstar MVP was meant as a compliment, but didnāt come out that way and should never have been said,ā Byrd said.
āIām no longer on social media, but after walking out of Truist and hearing from text the way my pitch back came out, I turned around and went back to make sure I didnāt offend Yaz. He smiled and hugged me and told me that he did not take it that way at all, and we are good.ā
āI hope you understand my heart, and all of this is not to point out when someone isnāt a league MVP, but rather to give credit to the guys who have made this team go early on and are not always featured on a broadcast front and center. As I did say correctly, Yaz just keeps getting the job done. I hope you understand and accept my apology. Thanks for listening,ā Byrd concluded.
Paul Byrd obviously didnāt mean any harm in his comments about Mike Yastrzemski, so good for him for taking the extra step of addressing it publicly and for Yastrzemski for not taking it personally. And surely most Braves fans knew what he meant and that it was with the best of intentions.
Byrdās relationship with the Braves players and his respect for all of them obviously mean a lot, as a former player himself. He was known as the nicest guy in baseball for a reason.
The post Paul Byrd apologizes for awkward Mike Yastrzemski interview appeared first on Awful Announcing.