Players getting mic’d up during MLB games has become pretty standard, but Tuesday’s All-Star Game broke new ground. For the first time, pitchers and catchers got the live microphone treatment during Fox’s broadcast.
Tarik Skubal, the AL’s starting pitcher, and Clayton Kershaw, the NL’s legacy pick, both wore live mics while facing off against fellow All-Stars. AL catcher Cal Raleigh joined them in speaking directly to Joe Davis and John Smoltz in the booth.
The results? Well, let’s just say it went better for some than others.
Skubal’s Rough Start Gets Colorful
The reigning AL Cy Young winner might’ve been rattled by the microphone setup. After a terrific first half, Skubal unraveled quickly once the broadcast picked up his audio.
He allowed a leadoff hit to Shohei Ohtani, then an infield single to Ronald Acuña Jr. When Ketel Marte doubled down the right-field line to score both runners, Skubal’s frustration came through loud and clear – complete with some choice words that made it onto the airwaves.
Tarik Skubal mic'd up while pitching naturally leads to F-bombs. #MLB #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/4Pao4EuLeT
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 16, 2025
What made this even more unique was the ABS challenge system being used for the first time in an All-Star Game. Skubal became the first player to successfully challenge a call on this stage, getting a ball turned into a strike.
“You take them any way you can get them, boys,” he told the broadcast.
The ABS Challenge System in full effect while Tarik Skubal is mic'd up on Fox. ⚾️🤖🎙️ #MLB #AllStarGAme pic.twitter.com/4Ik9chDRtj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 16, 2025
Credit to Skubal – he regrouped and struck out his final two batters, Manny Machado and Will Smith, to end the inning.
Kershaw Brings the Entertainment
The veteran lefty had a completely different experience. Added to the roster as a legacy pick celebrating his outstanding career, Kershaw seemed to relish every moment on the mic.
Before facing Monday’s Home Run Derby champion Cal Raleigh, he told Davis and Smoltz he was gonna “try to throw some cheese real quick.” After Raleigh lined out to Kyle Tucker in left field, Kershaw’s reaction was pure gold:
“That was sick.”
"I'm going to try and throw some cheese real quick." 😅
Clayton Kershaw having some fun mic'd up.
Also Kyle Tucker with the nice snag! pic.twitter.com/Rq9Gyj6SLP
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 16, 2025
Then came the best moment. Kershaw told the broadcast he wanted to throw a slider to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but his teammate and catcher Smith called for a curveball instead.
“Alright, fine,” Kershaw said, then proceeded to paint a beautiful curve that got Vladdy swinging and missing.
“Oh, it got him.”
You know Clayton Kershaw had to break out a vintage curve 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/GLLfdvCcP4
— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
Kershaw’s mic session included him correcting Smoltz (“I don’t throw a cutter, Smoltzy!”), chatting with manager Dave Roberts when he got pulled, and even playfully calling out Raleigh as he walked through the dugout.
MUST LISTEN: Clayton Kershaw was MIC'D UP during the #AllStarGame 😂 pic.twitter.com/RaEJrtJGWy
— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
Mixed Reviews From Fans
As expected, the mic’d up experiment split opinions. Some fans loved getting inside access to player personalities and decision-making:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, MLB AS Game is by far the best AS Game. It's actually played like a real game. Can't say that about the others. These Mic'd up moments are awesome too.
— Lou Merloni (@LouMerloni) July 16, 2025
Clayton Kershaw was mic’d up during his All Star Game outing and it’s the best thing you’ll watch today pic.twitter.com/KeihBLT8HV
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) July 16, 2025
https://twitter.com/jayhaykid/status/1945284259828459474
Others weren’t as impressed, particularly with how the interviews interrupted the flow and potentially gave advantages to opposing hitters:
Yeah I don’t think the MLB all star mic’d up thing is working too well for the pitcher and catcher right now
— Ramon Foster (@RamonFoster) July 16, 2025
I know it’s an exhibition game, but the mic’d up interviews every single inning during the All-Star Game is a bit much.
Would love to hear them actually talk about the game.
— Alex Smith (@AlexSmithSNY) July 16, 2025
Sleepy Joe Davis: “we have cal Raleigh and Tarik Skubal mic’d up. Tell us what you’re doing here”
*silence*
“We’re trying to pitch and catch you absolute idiot”
— A.Mazon (@afmazon) July 16, 2025
The experiment highlighted both the entertainment value and practical challenges of mic’ing up pitchers and catchers during live action. While Kershaw’s natural charisma made for great television, Skubal’s struggles showed how the added element can affect performance.
It’s a balance MLB will likely continue tweaking as they look for ways to bring fans closer to the game. The All-Star setting provides the perfect laboratory – now they’ve got some data on what works and what doesn’t.
