Jake Fraley lined a go-ahead RBI single up the middle in the 11th inning of Wednesday night's Mariners win over the Detroit Tigers, plating what would eventually hold up as the game-winning run. But that was not Fraley's biggest contribution to Seattle's victory, oh no: The game only made it to extras in the first place because of an astounding home run–robbing catch Fraley made in the bottom of the ninth inning, yanking what would've been a walk-off dinger back from the stands and then firing the ball back to the infield to double up Detroit's lone baserunner.
The thing that will command your attention when you watch this video, whether you like it or not, is the call of Mariners play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith. Goldsmith was not exactly prepared, at least vocally, for Fraley's outfield heroics. I'm sure he did his scales and various throat-clearing exercises prior to the game, but you simply cannot know how your voice will respond to a sudden unexpected shift from speaking to screaming. At the moment of Fraley's catch Goldsmith's voice cracks outrageously, giving his call of the play a distinctive and memorable a-lion-is-about-to-eat-me effect. It rules!
Mariners Jake Fraley robs a walk-off home run and the broadcaster rightfully loses his mind! pic.twitter.com/d96WrkWLRN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 10, 2021
It's not quite the soothing calls of loons on a backcountry lake, or the rump-shaking sounds of He-Man doing a techno-house cover of 4 Non-Blondes, but you may find that Goldsmith's unhinged "FRAYHAYLAYYY ... MAYHAYHADE THE CATCH" has its own mysterious earworm qualities. That you are pressing play on the video over and over again to hear the moment when the air in his lungs converts to steam and pours out with a train whistle's unmistakable hoot, that you are even just letting the video run in the background as you move on to other things, so that the lunatic voice echoing around in your brain is also quite literally echoing around in your physical workspace.
Here, therefore, is a 10-minute looping video of Aaron Goldsmith screaming "FRAYHAYLAYYY MAYHAYHADE ... THE CATCH!" You're welcome! We are here to serve.
