It doesn’t pay to be first if you’re not right.
MLB insider Jon Heyman momentarily set Twitter ablaze by reporting that Aaron Judge signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants. Calling the superstar free agent “Arson Judge” wasn’t even his biggest mistake.
“Giants say they have not heard on Aaron Judge,” Heyman later wrote. “My apologies for jumping the gun.”
While Twitter had fun with the typo, they weren’t laughing at Heyman’s premature reporting.
“Not cool man,” Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb replied.
“They always told us in school that it is better to be right than it is to be first,” Jake Marsh said. “Jon Heyman’s reputation as a journalist just changed in the span of 60 seconds. Crazy, crazy stuff.”
“I mean Jon Heyman has to go to jail now,” Eric Hubbs joked.
“Someone take away his phone,” Bronx Pinstripes wrote.
“Feels like kind of a big miss,” Kirk Minihane said.
The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Susan Slusser reported a “rumbling” that the Giants will land Judge. However, New York Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay reported that a source said they’re “still in play” to retain the AL MVP.
In other words, nothing has happened yet. Despite Heyman’s misstep, neither Aaron nor Arson Judge has signed.