Ty Schmit experienced a brief but exhilarating moment as a baseball insider on Thursday night, although the excitement was short-lived.
As the producer of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Schmit endeavored to announce Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s signing, confidently stating on social media that he had credible sources confirming a done deal with the Yankees for 9 years and $326 million, with assistance from “Godzilla Matsui.”
However, his revelation faced swift contradiction from various MLB insiders, including Jon Heyman of The Post. The situation worsened when Yamamoto signed a groundbreaking contract with the Dodgers later that night.
McAfee, addressing the incident on Friday, disclosed that Schmit made the announcement during the show’s holiday party, which was marked by flowing drinks.
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Reflecting on his actions, Schmit admitted, “Should I have reached out a little bit, dug around, tried to corroborate this in any way I could? Maybe. But, like you said, you got a couple of cocktails in you. That baseball does down the pipe looking like a beach ball and I said, ‘You know what? Screw it, let’s put this thing out.'”
Acknowledging the fallout on social media and calls for accountability, Schmit’s moment of reckoning arrived when Jeff Passan, ESPN’s MLB insider, appeared on the show.
Passan didn’t mince words, calling Schmit a “spectacular scumbag” and criticizing the misleading information that stirred the hopes of the Yankees’ fanbase. He pointed out the dubious sources named Jack, Jim, and Jose and questioned the authenticity of “Godzilla Matsui” and the use of “Yoshi.”
Ty Schmit, you are a spectacular scumbag,” Passan said with a lisp, referencing Schmit’s Lou Holtz impression. “You are a scumbag. This show understands scumbaggery better than any show out there. Would you not say what Ty did last night was about as bad a thing as you could do to an entire fanbase? To make them think that the one guy all offseason they wanted — this was going to complete the offseason — and then, because of bourbon .. your sources were named Jack, Jim and Jose!
Passan expressed shock at Schmit’s appearance on the show, stating, “It’s not good Ty. I got like a half dozen texts last night ranging from ‘is this true’ to ‘who is this moron’ … people thought that I was giving you the information and you were running with it.”
In response, Schmit admitted to being duped and acknowledged the complexity of navigating the rush to break news in today’s information landscape, where being the first to report a story often takes precedence over accuracy.
