Angels announcer fell victim to phony Gerrit Cole tweet
Feb 14, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws during a spring training workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
There are a lot of satirical social media pages out there that are disguised as real news outlets, and a Los Angeles Angels announcer was duped by one of them this week.
A Twitter page called New York Porch Sports — which looks extremely similar to the New York Post Sports’ Twitter account — shared a very fake story on Tuesday night about Cole. The tweet claimed that the New York Yankees ace promised an underprivileged school he would donate 600 MacBook computers if he lasted more than two innings in his start. The tweet, which you can see below, was sent after Cole was pulled in the second inning against the Houston Astros.
Gerrit Cole promised an underprivileged school he’d donate 600 MacBooks if he went over two innings tonight. The Yankees ace went 1.2. pic.twitter.com/jSBFJ3kQtF
— New York Porch Sports (@nyporchsport) April 20, 2022
Angels radio play-by-play announcer Terry Smith thought the story was real. He spoke about it on the air later that night during L.A.’s game against the Houston Astros.
The Angels radio broadcast believed this story and reported it on air as if it was true.
The internet is a beautiful place sometimes.
https://t.co/Sqw2CiwsZy https://t.co/M1yicoXv3y
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 20, 2022
Cole, who has an ERA of 6.35 in his first three starts this season, gave up two runs and five walks in just 1 2/3 innings against the Tigers. The Yankees still managed to to win 4-2 thanks to some outstanding bullpen work.
Fortunately, there was no actual laptop promise for Cole to break. That would have been heartbreaking for those kids.
If it helps Smith feel any better, something similar recently happened to a much more high-profile member of the media than him.