ESPN Feed Falters During Yankees–Red Sox Wild Card

ESPN’s broadcast of Game 1 of the Yankees–Red Sox AL Wild Card series was plagued by persistent crackling/static audio and choppy, low‑bitrate video that viewers said worsened with the Yankee Stadium crowd and caused motion‑sickening lag and repeated distortion during key moments like Anthony Volpe’s second‑inning homer and a fourth‑inning Red Sox threat. Viewers and journalists flooded social media with complaints, calling the feed “comically poor” or worse, and many lamented there were no alternative TV options because ESPN holds exclusive U.S. rights to the Wild Card series. Beyond technical problems, many Red Sox fans criticized ESPN’s broadcast booth for repeatedly spotlighting Aaron Judge, saying the commentary felt one‑sided. ESPN reportedly improved aspects of the feed during the game, but the issues lasted long enough to overshadow the rivalry and raised broader questions about the network’s postseason production quality. ESPN will carry Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary), giving the network another opportunity to address the problems.