Never say never.
Most people watching Game 2 of the Yankees-Guardians ALDS on Friday were likely familiar with Cleveland ace Shane Bieber. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner is one of the game’s elite hurlers who has shown a tremendous proclivity for strikeouts in his career.
One would expect Bob Costas, the game’s lead broadcaster for TBS, to recognize the Guardians’ star. Then again, you can never say never.
MORE: Costas shreds HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ promo in Guardians-Yankees Game 1
In the fifth inning, with Bieber on the mound, Costas mixed up the pitcher with his more popular namesake, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. In fact, Costas did it twice.
Justin Bieber getting his postseason moment pic.twitter.com/UkDcivaSoO
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 14, 2022
Costas quickly recognized his gaffe, almost incredulously asking color analyst Ron Darling if he really just did what he thought he did.
He had. And it was glorious.
To be fair to Costas, this isn’t the first time the two have been mistaken for one another. In fact, Shane Bieber famously was named “Justin” on his Topps baseball card in 2019, a moment he documented on Twitter.
MORE: Why Bob Costas is calling Yankees vs. Guardians 2022 ALDS series
Justin Bieber commented on the miscue:
I feel like we have a special connection https://t.co/fv80Lf8ABu
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) August 5, 2019
There are certainly worse people to be mistaken for than a global pop superstar who has sold over 20 million albums before age 30. And it seems that neither Bieber is too bothered by the comparison. The two paid homage to each other during MLB’s Player’s Weekend a few years back.
Can anyone say besties?
Hits: 3
