Video: Charley Steiner Confuses Joc Pederson With Max Muncy, Then Muncy Homers

I want to preface this post by saying it simply: I love Charley Steiner. At this point in my life, he’s one of the family. A very close member, actually. Steiner’s voice is synonymous  to me with a big-time highlight. It pairs well late night like red wine and steak. I’m old enough to remember when Steiner was doing the morning SportCenter and I needed to be at my grandmother’s to even see the show, because we didn’t have cable television yet.

Still, on Monday night Charley Steiner reached his apex with me. I don’t know how anyone could be anything but humored or joyed listening to the two minutes and ten seconds of this clip, because it’s sheer gold. And if you have heard it, play it again. This is one of the few times I have been listening to someone call a baseball game and began giggling until I almost teared up.

Perhaps I need to get out more. Or maybe Charley Steiner is a national treasure.

Charlie Steiner Confuses Joc Pederson And Max Muncy:

Charley Steiner goes through Joc Pederson's entire at bat and home run thinking he's Max Muncy, then the real Muncy homers right after pic.twitter.com/1MkNL7Xsdc

— bird hating account (@atf13atf) July 3, 2018

“Max Muncy! Beyond thunder-dome (?)! Who is this guy?”

He’s actually – get this Charley – it’s actually Joc Pederson who just homered. We all know this because Pederson wears Pederson’s number, stands like Pederson stands, and while they’re both left-handed; the two are hard to mistake for one another.

What else makes this clip golden, as if you should wonder? Steiner’s partner Rick Monday does not even attempt to bail him out. Monday calmly lets Steiner finish. Once Steiner is finished, Monday goes into his usual spiel about how that trip around the diamond was sponsored by Daniel’s Jewelers.

Finally – once the unmistakable Pederson has high-fived every teammate he has in the dugout – Steiner lets us in on the secret. It was actually Joc Pederson who just homered and is ‘beyond thunder-dome’.

Of course, Muncy is going to homer. When he does, Steiner is bailed out and proclaims “this is Max Muncy!”. It was the type of moment that only baseball season can provide. That is, if you’re lucky enough to have Charley Steiner calling your team’s games.

Nevertheless, I ended up okay with being blacked out of seeing a Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast for once in my life. I owe all the thanks and glory to a one, Charley Steiner. If Vin Scully is the beloved grandfather at the Dodgers family dinner in my mind, Steiner is definitely my favorite whacky uncle.