At the outset, it was just another Friday with fans tuning in on Apple TV for “Friday Night Baseball,” until something unfolded that was impossible to ignore. It all stems from Friday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. Although the Reds pitching staff kicked off the series with a sharp 5-3 win against the Pirates at Great American Ball Park. But the real highlight of the night was something else.

It all started during the bottom of the third inning when Paul Skenes, the 22-year-old pitching phenom of the Pirates, was being interviewed live. Skenes commenced discussing the significance of one of his team’s most substantial figures—Andrew McCutchen. He’s a five-time All-Star, a former national league MVP and one of the most renowned players in MLB.

Skenes emphasized McCutchen’s impact on the team, saying, “I grew up watching him.” He continued, “I remember his MVP year and the playoff years in Pittsburgh and he was at the center of all that.” And while he spoke, that’s when the real shocker came. While Skenes was speaking about McCutchen, there was a split in the screen.

On one end, the camera showed Skenes, while the other was focused on the game. In the midst of pitches, the camera, which was locked on the game, shifted the focus to somebody who was sitting in the Pittsburgh dugout. And no, that someone wasn’t Andrew McCutchen.

The catch is, the camera was supposed to focus on McCutchen while Skenes was giving him a heartfelt shoutout. If you knew the drill, you’d know the kind of backlash and criticism it would have invited from the Pirates’ nation. From disrespect to disgrace, fans have been feeling it all.

Pirates’ nation in pure disbelief over broadcast blunder

As soon as fans noticed the broadcast blunder during the Pirates vs. the Reds matchup, it left the entire Pirates fanbase baffled. Fans chose X (formerly Twitter) as their safe space to vent over Apple TV’s lapse of attention to detail. As the blunder grabbed attention, one X user simply reflected the collective mood of the entire Pirates’ nation:

For everyone who has been following McCutchen’s journey, this mistake wasn’t just visually irritating; it felt personal, more like downright disrespect. Also, fans didn’t expect such a blunder from Apple TV. Another Pirates fan got brutally honest and just had one thing to say:

The frustration was felt on all the fronts. Moreover, with an iconic player like McCutchen involved, this mishap was nothing short of pure disgrace. Then, there was a fan who was just relieved that he was not alone and who felt misled. They remarked,

They just couldn’t wrap their heads around such an obvious blunder. Another one took a direct shot at Apple TV and called them out. The fan reminded them how big of a blunder they had made:

The reaction simply reflects on the sense of accountability Apple TV should have felt. Another fan was relieved to understand that they weren’t alone trapped in this blunder:

As soon as the fans took notice, the first thought they had was if they missed out on something, but as soon as the majority of Pirates’ nation started to voice it, they felt relieved that they weren’t alone in this.

While the incident may have stemmed from a simple mistake, it clearly struck a chord with Pirates fans who hold Andrew McCutchen in high regard. Whether Apple TV responds or not, the moment serves as a reminder of how much attention to detail matters—especially when honoring legends of the game in real time. What are your thoughts about this?