"He can’t take the Mets anymore, they’re killing him" - Fans react as legend Keith Hernandez lets frustrations slip live on-air
Former first baseman Keith Hernandez, considered one of the New York Mets' best-ever players, spent seven seasons in Queens. Hernandez earned five All-Star caps, eleven Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards. He also played an important role in the Mets' World Series win in 1986.
Having been inducted into the Mets' Hall of Fame, Hernandez has transitioned into a role as an announcer for the team after hanging up his boots. While covering the Mets' game against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, Hernandez accidentally let some of his frustrations slip as he was heard criticizing 'poor hitting' right after a commercial break.
A clip of the incident was shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Plenty of fans reacted to the clip and some claimed Keith Hernandez's comments were perhaps justified.
"He can’t take the Mets anymore, they’re killing him," a fan wrote.
"Honest commentary," another fan commented.
"It's not like he wasn't right... He's never been one to hide how he feels. That's what I've always loved about him," another fan shared.
"He wasn’t wrong," a fan replied.
"Keith is almost always correct. Love it," another fan responded.
"Love Keith. Speaking the truth," a fan posted.
Despite being wasteful at the plate as Keith Hernandez and plenty of other Mets fans seemed to think, the team eventually won 6-5 after extra innings and ended the game on a good note.
Mets sportscaster warns against 'anointing' Francisco Lindor Mets' captain, cites Keith Hernandez's past example to prove his point
As one of the New York Mets' most consistent players, four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor is seen by many as the perfect candidate to be named the 'captain' of the side.
However, according to sportscaster Gary Cohen, that would be a mistake on the organization's part. To explain his argument, Cohen used a past example of when legend Keith Hernandez was named captain.
"I think that in order to have a captain, there has to be one definitive guy [that fits the role]. The Mets ran into this [issue] in the 80s when Keith Hernandez was named captain and Gary Carter bristled at it. Eventually, they named him (Gary Carter) captain as well, and it was not a particularly comfortable situation. I think you have a similar dynamic here," Gary Cohen said. [12:05]
Cohen added that naming Lindor captain might be similarly seen as undermining Brandon Nimmo's importance.
"A lot of people want to anoint Francisco Lindor as the captain. Look, Francisco has been fantastic, watching his growth as a person and as a leader over the last four years has been really fun to watch. But in a clubhouse that also has Brandon Nimmo, I don't think that you can anoint anybody as the captain.
"I think that making Lindor the captain would be a slight to Nimmo. I don't think anybody has any reason to want to do that, least of all Francisco. I think it's a subject that the Mets are going to wind up leaving alone," Cohen added.
As the Mets aim to challenge for the NL East and the World Series in 2025, the ownership and coaching staff will certainly be in no mood to make any moves that may cause disharmony within the clubhouse.