"Might fix a generational family-error and call the optometrist" - A’s broadcaster owns up after viral miscall on Lawrence Butler’s homer

On July 26, Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler helped his team register a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros. Butler, 25, scored a home run off a pitch from Hector Neris, but while Butler's hit was phenomenal, an A's broadcaster made a big error in calling it.

After Butler hit the homer, Chris Caray said:

"High in the air, deep to right... That ball is foul, or gone."

Caray's error quickly went viral on social media after Awful Announcing uploaded a video of the mistake on X. Caray, quote-tweeted this same post and issued an apology:

"Totally lost it in the lights. No excuses. Unfair to Butler and our fans that I messed it up as badly as I did. This is completely and totally on me! Wish I could have it back but that’s baseball. I apologize and will be better tomorrow."

Caray even joked that he would be fixing a generational family error by calling the optometrist:

"I might just fix a generational family-error and call the optometrist tonight! lol."

Chris Caray has been a play-by-play announcer for the Athletics since the 2024 season and has been in a play-by-play rotation with fellow announcer Jenny Cavnar.

A's outfielder Lawrence Butler failed to achieve a major goal this season

Lawrence Butler has been in the MLB since 2023. Before the 2025 season, the 25-year-old outfielder set the target of making the 2025 All-Star game in Atlanta "no matter what."

On X, the official handle of the MLB shared a video of Butler in which he said:

"All-Star Game ATL 2025. No matter what. Exclamation mark. Demon mad face," Butler read from his phone.

"For manifestation," he said while displaying an image of a replica from the Athletics' last World Series triumph in 1989. "I'm going to get my own. So if I ever feel like I don't want to do something, I look at that and be like, "You've got to go, so go do it."

Lawrence Butler didn't make the All-Star game after a so-so season thus far. From 399 at-bats, Butler has a .238 average, with 59 runs, 44 RBIs and 15 home runs. He will look to improve as the A's struggle on in another rough campaign; they stand fifth in the AL West with a 45-62 record.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and MLB journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Aaron Judge and his ability to keep being consistent. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he gets the chance to play for an MLB team, he would love to play for the New York Yankees.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by John Maxwell