The London Stadium saw a thrilling finish between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets on Sunday. The Phillies were mounting a surge in the ninth inning for a potential comeback victory, but it was the British announcers who, with their enthusiastic voices, captured the attention of fans.
Darren Fletcher was on the "TNT Sports" British broadcast to call the game and his voice certainly left an impression among fans. MLB posted a snippet of the video from the final out of the game. The Phillies had loaded up all the bases, trailing 6-5 in the game, with one out. Nick Castellanos was at the plate against the Mets' Drew Smith:
“With the pressure on his shoulders. And Castellanos’ bat explodes! Are they going to get the runner at home? THEY’RE GOING TO GET THE DOUBLE PLAY! TO WIN THE GAME! WHAT AN END! The shattered bat, the runner out at home plate, and the ball fired into the glove!
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"And the first baseman, Pete Alonso, and the New York Mets, somehow withstand the Phillies’ rally, and they win Game 2 in London 6-5! 17 hits, what drama, what a game, what a finish!” Fletcher called the final play.
The British announcer was at the top of his lungs at almost every point of the entire play as his words rang a bell among fans:
"Would have loved for these to be the announcers for the US broadcast as well," one fan commented.
"The excitement makes it feel grand lol I love it," another added.
"Good lord hire this man full time!" one quipped.
One fan gave props to the announcer for his Shakespeare-like feel, while others applauded his call:
"Excitement and drama delivered like Shakespeare at the ballpark and I'm here for it!" one fan posted.
"Darren Fletcher is a great commentator and to do this in a non comfort zone sport is just awesome," another posted.
"This game ending call is beautiful," one added.
Before delivering his final pitch, Smith took a moment to recollect himself and finally threw a dart that broke the hitter's bat.
With bases loaded, catcher Luis Torrens caught a forced runner at the home plate and then fired a throw at first base to catch Castellanos short and end the ball game.
The Mets won the game, 6-5 and tied the London Series before heading home.
How was the final play called by Michael Kay on ESPN?
ESPN was also covering the game and renowned broadcaster Michael Kay was at the helm to call the final play of the game:
“Slow roller in front of the plate. There’s one! There’s two! And the Mets win! The Mets hold on to win 6-5! What a play by [Luis] Torrens, as he turns a 2-3 double play to end it," Kay called the play.
Which commentator's call did you prefer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
