Newly signed Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga has been making waves, but not just for his pitching skills.
Media outlets and Major League Baseball (MLB) itself have been caught in a series of comical errors involving the pitcher’s images.
Photoshop Fail
When the MLB decided to celebrate Imanaga’s signing, they attempted to photoshop him into a Cubs jersey.
However, their attempt was, to put it mildly, not up to professional standards. It featured a poorly edited jersey that drew quite a bit of mockery online.
People didn’t hold back their opinions, making jokes about MLB’s graphic design passion on social media platforms like Twitter.
It seems even the biggest organizations can have an off day when it comes to Photoshop.
Wrong Pitcher, Big Mistake
But the MLB wasn’t the only one to slip up. ESPN 1000 and Baseball America have both used the wrong images for Imanaga.
Instead of the left-handed Imanaga, they showed Shota Takeda, a different right-handed pitcher who plays in Japan.
These mistakes were quickly pointed out by sharp-eyed fans and other observers on Twitter, prompting the original posts to be deleted.
These errors just add to the visibility of the mishaps surrounding Imanaga’s introduction to the MLB audience.
Room for Improvement
These mix-ups are not uncommon in the world of sports media, where images are frequently mislabeled or databases contain incorrect information.
Nevertheless, such a high number of errors around one player is certainly notable.
The MLB and other media outlets have had no choice but to take their lumps and learn from these mistakes.
Here’s hoping that Imanaga’s future highlights will be for his skills on the baseball mound rather than for photo bloopers.
Conclusion
In the end, as much as Shota Imanaga’s skills as a pitcher are what will truly define his MLB career, the early attention he has received due to these comical mishaps certainly provides an unconventional introduction to American baseball fans.
The incidents involving Imanaga have been a stark reminder that everyone including major sports leagues and esteemed media platforms can fall prey to errors that not only entertain but also humble.
More must-reads: