Former MLB pitcher Ricky Bottalico publicly challenges remarks made by Netflix host Elle Duncan about an incident involving Barry Bonds. Bottalico, a former all-star and later sports radio host, says he was instructed to hit Bonds in 1998 and that he complied. He contends that the account presented during Netflix’s first broadcast of the MLB Home Run Derby from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia—aired Monday night—misrepresents what happened.
Bottalico characterizes Duncan’s on-air description as a “bald-faced lie,” arguing that it conflicts with what he says he was told at the time and with his understanding of the circumstances. The dispute centers on whether Bonds was targeted and how the pitch incident is portrayed during the Derby coverage.
Both sources report that the disagreement is tied directly to Netflix’s broadcast and Bottalico’s criticism of the specific remarks about Bonds, with Bottalico asserting that the incident occurred as he described it rather than as it was presented by Duncan.
