Sometimes in sports broadcasting, it’s all about being on the right shot at the right time.
SNY, the television home of the New York Mets, aced the assignment during a game against the Washington Nationals on Monday afternoon. During the top of the seventh inning, with the Mets up 11-zip on that Nats, a baseball rarity occurred. Mets star Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch for the second time in the same inning.
“Oh, and he gets hit for the second time in the inning,” SNY play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen said. “That might be a record. Think anybody’s been hit by a pitch twice in one inning?”
“I think we’re going to find out whether or not they have,” SNY analyst Daniel Murphy answered.
“I mean, that’s like a Fernando Tatís, Chan Ho Park accomplishment, two grand slams in one inning,” Cohen offered.
But while the announcers chattered away, the away crowd in Washington D.C. made their feelings about the second errant pitch known, with boo-birds being heard loud and clear on the broadcast. SNY’s director made sure to highlight some of those vocal fans by showing them on the broadcast, with one fan in particular pulling off an all-time sequence for the approximately three seconds he appeared on air.
First, a point and a nut-grab. Then, a quick one-two punch of middle fingers, first with the right hand and then with the left.
Don’t let anyone tell you that baseball in the month of April doesn’t matter. Clearly, it matters enough for this Mets fan to get worked up enough to grab his balls in public on a Monday afternoon, and the flip two birds for emphasis.
Props to SNY for delivering the goods here.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.