It took way too long for SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez to get a new three-year deal to keep the best broadcast booth in baseball together. The former first baseman, Ron Darling, and Gary Cohen are on the call in Port St. Lucie for the Mets’ first home game of the spring against the Miami Marlins.
It was good to see the band back together, and Hernandez is already earning that money from his new contract.
The trio spent the majority of the first couple of innings discussing MLB’s new pace-of-play rules. Most of the discussion revolved around the pitch clock, which included Keith and Ron sharing thoughts on how to circumvent the rules. After Pete Alonso kicked off his spring with a home run, Hernandez also described how the first baseman’s physique went from soft to solid this offseason.
But the best part of all came when Keith introduced the Marlins’ defense. Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be playing center field in 2023. He’s not in the lineup on Saturday night, but Hernandez wanted to mention the ensuing position change anyways. That led to him fumbling over his words and giving us this hilarious mispronunciation:
Chaz Jizzem pic.twitter.com/vXi2TSx1Y6
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 25, 2023
What I love most is that he took a moment to correct Chisholm’s last name, but not his first name. So, we’re left with Chazz Chisholm. If this is any indication of what the season will be like in the booth for these three, then I’m very excited.
There was some chatter on Twitter wondering how Gary, Keith, and Ron would handle broadcasting in the pitch clock era. Some of their best and most interesting moments come when they go off on a tangent. We’re only about four innings into their first spring training game of the year, but I don’t notice a difference at all. I think they’re going to do just fine.
But before the Mets play the Marlins again, someone needs to write out Chisholm’s name very clearly for Keith Hernandez.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
