ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez made a controversial comment about Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. during Sunday Night Baseball this past weekend. During the broadcast, Perez questioned Tatis’s superstar status, comparing him to Dodgers star Mookie Betts and saying, “That’s what a superstar looks like, Nando.”
On Monday, Perez issued an apology for his remark, indicating that although he stands by his comment, he didn’t intend for his words to be portrayed as they were.
“I made a comment last night … and as soon as I said it, I cringed. Immediately, I was going to say, ‘This is what superstars look like,’” Perez explained on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. “It wasn’t that I was carried away in the moment, it’s that you look at the screen because you’re trying to see and follow where the director is going as well. By coincidence, it was Fernando Tatis Jr. that popped up on the screen. It could have been anyone else.”
“And this is the human side, because it’s all live. I own it 100% because I saw the replay later on when I got here, and I cringed,” added Perez.
"As soon as I said it, I cringed."@PerezEd explains and apologizes for his comments on Sunday Night Baseball.@espn | #FernandoTatisJr | #MookieBetts | @StevePhillipsGM pic.twitter.com/YC5TnF5ZnR
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) May 8, 2023
Perez’s comment came in the aftermath of Betts’ game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth inning. The Dodgers went on to win in extra innings, 5-2, to give them the series victory against their NL West rivals.
