Ernie Johnson will have to miss baseball’s postseason for TBS due to blood clots in both his legs, he announced in an emotional message on Instagram.
Johnson was scheduled to do play-by-play for the Indians-Astros ALDS and will be replaced by former Red Sox play-by-play man Don Orsillo.
“It’s a great time of year, and unfortunately I am not going to be a part of it at TBS,” Johnson said. “I went to the doctor the other day and had a physical, and they discovered blood clots in both my legs. They advised me against flying and put me on blood thinners. … The best course of action is to just stay grounded at this point, not fly.
“When you are doing the playoffs, there’s a lot of flights in a compressed time, and blood clots are nothing to be messed with. As tough as it is for me to miss baseball’s postseason, it’s the thing for me to do.”
Johnson has long been the face of Turner’s basketball coverage, but also has been anchoring the baseball coverage since the network took over the rights to MLB’s postseason in 2007.
Johnson’s NBA studio work will not be affected, and he will be part of TNT’s Tuesday night preseason coverage.