The first big hit of the 2025 MLB Playoffs wound up coming against a television camera positioned behind home plate.
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez absolutely obliterated the lens of a camera positioned behind home plate during Tuesday’s AL Wild Card game against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Oh. The foul ball hit the camera directly on the lens, and the glass could be heard shattering on ESPN’s television broadcast.
We've got a SHATTERING camera in the first game of the playoffs. Sound up! pic.twitter.com/IJbZ9pXgLh
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 30, 2025
The game was briefly delayed as members of the stadium grounds crew came onto the field to pick up the shards of glass that had fallen to the field.
Unfortunately for viewers, we did not actually get to see what this looked like from the camera’s point of view. According to ESPN’s broadcast, it was an in-stadium camera, not one used for the television broadcast.
This is actually one of the more thorough obliterations of a camera we have seen at a ballgame. They do happen from time to time, but it’s pretty rare that they take such a direct hit as this one did.
