The cast of MLB Network’s “MLB Central” had no idea how to react when Friday’s show was interrupted by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, video from MLB Network shows.
“Are we having an earthquake?” host Robert Flores asks as the studio shakes.
“Seriously, are we having an earthquake?” he repeats as his other three co-hosts look around in bewilderment.
“What’s going on here?” Flores asks. “The control room is shaking, we’re shaking,” he notes.
“You guys okay?” co-host Lauren Shehadi asks the technical operators right before she does the sign of the cross.
“This is not a bit!” Flores exclaims.
“Control room is shaking, we’re shaking…”
A live #earthquake reaction on #MLBCentral! 😳 pic.twitter.com/p0Bhn4yCM8
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 5, 2024
Both Flores and co-host Mark DeRosa uncomfortably indicate they’d like to go to a commercial break.
“Let’s go to a break because I’m leaving!’ Flores exclaims, seeming to only be half-joking. “My car is right outside and I’m leaving,” he quipped. (RELATED: Minor League Team Laden With Big League Talent Puts Up 26 Runs In One Game … I’m Convinced They Could Beat The Marlins)
Now, being from New Jersey, where the MLB Network studios are located, I can understand the novelty of experiencing an earthquake. It’s not something we’re used to up in the tri-state area. But the tremor was pretty minor, measuring in at 4.8 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
A quake of that minimal magnitude is hardly a dangerous event. But these broadcasters acted like their studio was being hit with rockets in Fallujah. The sign of the cross was maybe a bit much, but hey I get it. I’m sure it was a slightly terrifying moment if you’ve never felt an earthquake before.