We write about the New York Mets broadcast booth frequently — perhaps more than we should.
But there’s a reason Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling are still the best in class. There’s a reason Awful Announcing’s readers ranked them No. 1 in last year’s local announcer rankings. There’s a reason Michael Kay was miffed about them being the best booth in baseball.
It’s because they are.
But each of Cohen, Hernandez and Darling is humble about that fact.
They know they’re very good together. They know they have a duty to a fanbase that they’ve become one in the same with. Hernandez attributes it to Cohen being the best play-by-play voice in the game and the Mets Hall of Fame inductee being the “maestro” of the booth. He makes everything go. Hernandez brings the hitting. Darling brings the pitching. Cohen brings the balance.
They’re humorous. They’re poignant. They’re entertaining. They’re captivating.
But to Cohen, all of that can be true, but it’s really about the chemistry they’ve built over the years.
“I think that when we got here, we all had no idea what we were doing … to be serious, I think that what’s amazing about this booth considering that you have a guy who should be in the Hall of Fame in Keith and one of the best pitchers in Mets history in Ronnie, is that there’s absolutely no ego,” Cohen told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “None. None of us needs to have the microphone, none of us needs to be on camera, we all allow the others to shine, and we have a great producer in Gregg Picker who has been with us every step of the way and prods us to be better every day.”
Perhaps that’s why it’s worked for 20 years. Their selflessness, unspoken understanding of their roles, and respect for each other and the craft have allowed Cohen, Hernandez and Darling to build a booth that’s a harmonious blend of expertise, personality and humility.
Each knows when to step back and let the other shine. And that’s what’s made them the gold standard, year after year.