James Vincent Michael O'Brien, or more commonly known as Jomboy, rose to fame for his informative, fan-friendly and wildly entertaining breakdowns of the various happenings during baseball games. Jomboy, who was recently named to Sports Illustrated's 2025 Power List, is also known for his expertise in the art of lip-reading. So if we're recapping the best of the best in 2025, it's only fitting that we take a look back at Jomboy's most memorable lip reads and breakdowns.
Jomboy's Most Memorable Breakdowns
Bills-Chiefs missed call
One of Jomboy's most famous breakdowns involved the Astros' cheating scandal, in which he very meticulously broke down live film of the club's trash-can banging system. In a similar vein, Jomboy knocked it out of the park with a detailed breakdown of the controversial ending from the Chiefs' AFC championship game win over the Bills back in January. And he actually drew more attention to another questionable ball spot, one that preceded the most talked-about ruling, making this video even more impactful.
Blown call on triple play in Mets-Nationals
Jomboy was at it again, this time with his bread-and-butter: baseball. During an April 25 game, the Nationals turned a triple play against the Mets. Or did they? In this video, Jomboy combines humor, some really strong lip-reading and slow motion replay to show what really happened during this somewhat controversial moment.
Mike Shildt gets tossed, then tosses his glasses
I'll give you fair warning: There is quite a bit of NSFW language in this video. But Jomboy's ability to lip-read expletive-laden tirades is second to none. His commentary of Shildt's paper and glasses toss was the cherry on top of this highly amusing breakdown.
Umpire seemingly escalates Walker Buehler situation into ejection
Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook missed a call, then escalated the situation by yelling at then-Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler, who responded in turn in an exchange expertly broken down by Jomboy. Come for the lip reading, stay for Jomboy's Francisco Lindor sound effects.
Cubs' Nico Hoerner ejected for telling umpire he's having a bad day
On the surface, Nico Hoerner's ejection from a June 8 game seemed to be pretty tame. And, after some impressive lip-reading and a particularly hilarious voice overlay of the discussion between Hoerner, Cubs manager Craig Counsell and the umpire, Jomboy determined the ejection to be extremely tame. Hoerner told reporters exactly what he said to home plate umpire Derek Thomas—and the video evidence backs it up.
Caitlin Clark gets shoved to the ground and chaos ensues
Jomboy dabbled into WNBA with this breakdown and it sure was entertaining. Aside from his expert lip-reading of Clark's protestations, the most amusing part was his zoomed-in edit of the gameday staff's faces during the painstakingly long review of the shove heard round the world.
Padres-Dodgers trade hit by pitches, Dave Roberts gets ejected and doesn't know it
The embers of baseball's best rivalry burned bright during a June series between the Dodgers and Padres. Both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Shohei Ohtani were hit by pitches. When the umpiring crew assessed warnings to both clubs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wanted to know the umpire's thought process but was told not to leave the dugout, then was ejected—and didn't know it. Jomboy's breakdown of the conversation between Roberts and the umpires, as well as the subsequent argument over who has more "feel", is the lip reader at his best. Oh, and his second breakdown—also from this drama-filled series, is also well worth your time.
Mariners closer tips his pitches and Yankees capitalize
Mariners All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz was tipping his pitches—specifically his slider—and the Yankees figured out the tell, sparking a comeback victory. Jomboy did a fantastic job of taking fans inside the game in this video, showing exactly how New York managed to figure out the tell on Muñoz's slider.
Victor Robles throws his bat at pitcher after getting plunked by five pitches in three games
After getting hit by five pitches in the span of three games—and for the third time by the same pitcher—you'd be mad too! Not only did Jomboy break down the full picture of this pretty wild turn of events, he also shed some light on the important context that Robles's patience was severely tested in this moment, making his extreme reaction seem more understandable given the situation.
Ball boy gets ejected for the way he handed balls to umpire
We've all seen a manager getting ejected. We've all seen a player ejected. But a ball boy? And what about all three in the same inning? That's what happened during an August 21 game between the Quad City River Bandits and the Great Lakes Loons. Jomboy beautifully broke down the bizarre series of events, expertly using slow-motion replay to show the ball boy's aggressive handing of the baseballs.
More on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI Power List: Jomboy's Most Memorable Lip Reads.
