Mets’ broadcaster Keith Hernandez makes abrupt gender-neutral quip

New York Mets fans are unabashed in their love for Keith Hernandez. But when you see him going viral, always proceed with caution.

There is no better wingman for Hernandez than Gary Cohen. Even when the former Mets first baseman thinks he’s approaching a topic with caution, he usually relies on Cohen to help redirect him back on track. And Wednesday night, Cohen did just that when Hernandez abruptly shifted the conversation toward…gender neutrality?

“Nice catch by the ball girl, sharp one-hopper, right into the glove. Nicely done,” Cohen said before adding, “Ball woman,” after SNY zoomed in on the fielder who made impressive play.

“Person,” Hernandez said in response to Cohen, seemingly believing he was being pretty shrewd with the comment. “You can be neutral. They can’t get you that way.”

If “they” wanted to get Hernandez, it would have happened by now. This is far from the first time Hernandez made a controversial quip on the broadcast, and it certainly won’t be the last. Which to his credit, is part of what makes him a popular analyst. It’s hard to praise Hernandez’s brazenness one night, and then be surprised when he approaches topics that are more polarizing or controversial the next.

“Well, you know what they call them in San Francisco,” Cohen continued. “They call them ball dudes.”

“Dudes?” Hernandez asked sarcastically. “What kind of connotation does that have?”

“It’s all inclusive, Keith,” Cohen said to promptly wrap up the conversation before seamlessly jumping back into his play-by-play of the game.

Has there ever been a better example, or a conversation more worthy of the “nobody” meme than Keith Hernandez turning an innocuous comment about a ball woman from his broadcast partner into a nonbinary joke? Someone behind-the-scenes had to be yelling “stop” to themselves as Hernandez briefly pulled back the curtain on his political leanings.

But before Hernandez could push the joke to a point of no return, Cohen was there to help rein him in and temper the conversation. Just like he did last month, after SNY gave Hernandez a quick glimpse of the Texas Rangers’ cheerleaders.

[SNY]