Paul Byrd apologizes for awkward Mike Yastrzemski interview
· Yahoo Sports
Mike Yastrzemski was the hero on Friday night for the Atlanta Braves as they defeated his grandfather’s former team, the Boston Red Sox, thanks to his walk-off hit in the 10th inning. But when trying to find a way to compliment the Braves outfielder, BravesVision interviewer Paul Byrd caused an unintentional firestorm.
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Byrd was a longtime former pitcher, playing for seven teams across 14 seasons in the Major Leagues. He began his second stint with the Braves as a reporter for games in 2025.
After he was done interviewing Yastrzemski, he tried to make a comment about how valuable it was to have everyone on the team contributing, not just their superstars, throwing it back to the booth. However, the way it came out could have been perceived as a bit of a diss towards the man who just had the game-winning hit.
Lmfao. Yeah, Byrdie put him in a body bag. Sheesh.
I’m more than positive Paul Byrd will feel like a complete ass about this and go let Yaz know he meant no disrespect, but instead quite the opposite. pic.twitter.com/Zd5xRohZZO
— Beans (Beaneater Buzz) (@BeaneaterB) May 16, 2026
“Absolute blast to cover, great interview, works hard, does it all, again, not the superstar MVP-caliber, but one of the best on this team at coming through,” Byrd said.
Naturally, the comments caught quite a bit of attention on social media, given the “not the superstar MVP-caliber” remark.
But Paul Byrd set the record straight. Although he isn’t on social media himself, he recorded an audio apology that fellow Braves broadcaster C.J. Nitkowski posted on social media. Nitkowski also said that Yastrzemski took no offense himself.
“Byrdie is a champion of players and wants to bring their stories to you with the greatest appreciation and perspective that he can. That is what last night was. Byride is not on social media, but he wanted to share his thoughts with Braves Country. He is a sweetheart of a man, friend and teammate, we are lucky to have him,” Nitkowski said.
This is a non-story for me but Byrdie was upset last night when he found out some took his sign off after his Yaz interview as insulting to the player. He and I were talking past midnight last night working through it. He felt terrible. Yaz wasn’t offended, quite the opposite.… pic.twitter.com/ZGGobIJxKS
— CJ (@CJNitkowski) May 16, 2026
“What I meant was he’s a baseball guy. A grinder guy who works hard, he’s played a huge role in his team, and he keeps coming through, so don’t miss that and don’t miss him. Me saying he’s not a superstar MVP was meant as a compliment, but didn’t come out that way and should never have been said,” Byrd said.
“I’m no longer on social media, but after walking out of Truist and hearing from text the way my pitch back came out, I turned around and went back to make sure I didn’t offend Yaz. He smiled and hugged me and told me that he did not take it that way at all, and we are good.”
“I hope you understand my heart, and all of this is not to point out when someone isn’t a league MVP, but rather to give credit to the guys who have made this team go early on and are not always featured on a broadcast front and center. As I did say correctly, Yaz just keeps getting the job done. I hope you understand and accept my apology. Thanks for listening,” Byrd concluded.
Paul Byrd obviously didn’t mean any harm in his comments about Mike Yastrzemski, so good for him for taking the extra step of addressing it publicly and for Yastrzemski for not taking it personally. And surely most Braves fans knew what he meant and that it was with the best of intentions.
Byrd’s relationship with the Braves players and his respect for all of them obviously mean a lot, as a former player himself. He was known as the nicest guy in baseball for a reason.
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