A Boston Red Sox radio broadcaster is walking back on-air comments that called for a Yankees player to be intentionally hit with a pitch, after the moment blew up in spectacular fashion during a lopsided loss over the weekend. WEEI broadcaster Will Flemming apologized Monday for suggesting that Red Sox reliever Jovani Moran should hit Yankees catcher Austin Wells in retaliation for a stolen base, and even said Moran should fight Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The comments came during New York's 16-1 rout of Boston on Saturday, August 30, according to the Boston Herald. With the Yankees already ahead 7-1, Chisholm stole both second and third base, a play Flemming called bush-league, saying on the broadcast that Chisholm plays the game the wrong way. Analyst Will Middlebrooks, a former Red Sox third baseman who won a World Series with Boston in 2013, agreed on air that stealing a base with a game out of reach and the runner unheld is usually considered bad form, according to background reported by The Game FM.
A Wild Eighth Inning Turns the Broadcast Upside Down
Flemming's frustration escalated from there. He suggested Moran should hit Wells in retaliation and even floated the idea that Moran should fight Chisholm outright, according to the Herald's reporting. He also called a replay ruling that turned a potential double play into a two-on, no-out situation ridiculous, after Ceddanne Rafaela failed to complete a diving catch in center field.
What followed was one of the most lopsided innings of the season. New York scored five runs after that no-catch ruling and went on to score nine runs in the eighth inning alone, according to the Herald. Austin Wells, the very player Flemming had suggested Boston hit with a pitch, instead came off the bench and hit two separate two-run home runs during that inning — becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to enter a game as a pinch-hitter and homer twice in the same frame, according to MLB.
Chisholm's Milestone and the Standings Stakes
Chisholm's steal of third base that inning was also his 40th of the 2026 season, making him the first American League player to reach that mark this year, as reported by The Big Lead. The same outlet notes that New York won three of the four games in the weekend series, clinching the head-to-head season tiebreaker over Boston and extending its lead in the American League East race — context that helps explain why emotions ran so high in a game that was already out of reach.
Under MLB Rule 6.02(c)(9), umpires who determine a pitcher intentionally threw at a batter can eject that pitcher immediately without a prior warning, or issue formal warnings to both dugouts, according to the Baseball Rules Academy. That rule underscores just how far outside normal broadcast commentary Flemming's on-air suggestion strayed.
The Apology and the Fallout
Flemming posted his apology on X early Monday afternoon, acknowledging his comments crossed a line and saying he let the emotion of the moment get the best of him. He said he meant no disrespect to the Yankees players or organization, and described himself as emotional and a fan at heart, saying that influenced the broadcast. Flemming also said he received nonstop calls and threats following the game, per the Herald's reporting.
Notably, Flemming had announced in December that he was leaving X over toxic and negative interactions on the platform, only returning Monday specifically to post his apology, according to a report from ClutchPoints. The backlash reached well beyond Boston sports media. New York Knicks guard Josh Hart posted on X calling for Flemming's firing, writing, “Yo @RedSox your idiotic announcer got to go,” despite the apology already being public, according to Essentially Sports.
A Broadcaster, Not a Team Employee
WEEI and the Boston Red Sox Radio Network are owned and operated by Audacy, Inc., not the Red Sox organization itself, meaning Flemming's comments were made as an employee of a media partner rather than an official team representative, per background from Wikipedia. Flemming took over the network's lead play-by-play role for the 2025 season following the retirement of Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Castiglione, who called Red Sox games for 42 years, according to Awful Announcing. Flemming's older brother, Dave Flemming, has called play-by-play for the San Francisco Giants since 2004, making the pair one of the few active sibling broadcasting duos in the majors, according to Stanford Magazine.
The episode adds to a season of friction around Fenway Park, following a fan confrontation involving Jarren Duran and an on-field ejection tied to a balk-call dispute involving Chris Sale earlier this month. As the Red Sox and Yankees continue jockeying for position in a tight AL East race, Flemming's comments have become the latest flashpoint in a rivalry that keeps finding new ways to boil over.
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