There’s something to be said about SNY.
It is not just the on-air talent, though we could go on and on about Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling, and not just the potential looming sale of the regional sports network. What really stands out is the production. Under the direction of John DeMarsico, SNY’s broadcasts continue to evolve, reaching new heights, as the big league club does, too.
Take Francisco Lindor’s walk-off home run earlier this month, for example. SNY’s production turned that moment into a viral sensation. It was a flawless display of controlled chaos, with behind-the-scenes footage showing how every camera angle and cut came together with precision.
Production trucks going viral isn’t new, but it’s becoming more common, and DeMarsico has leaned into that. He’s generously shared behind-the-scenes looks and interacted with Mets fans and us at Awful Announcing on X. We’re more than happy to highlight it, because as flashy as the on-air team may be, a huge part of what makes a broadcast special happens behind the scenes.
Social media often forgets that, but DeMarsico makes sure we don’t.
And he didn’t when Pete Alonso hit his seventh home run of the season in an 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
With the Mets improving to 13-1 at Citi Field this season and a party atmosphere brewing nightly, it feels like there’s a new highlight clip worth dissecting after every home stand. That’s not a knock on the road broadcasts, but the vibes — and the wins — have been different at home. Entering Wednesday, the Mets were 12 games over .500 at Citi Field, while hovering at .500 on the road.
And as New York notched its latest win to improve to 21-9 on the season, a few celebrities were in the building — Judd Apatow, Tom Hanks, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan among them. DeMarsico and the SNY crew had already captured Hanks’s reaction to Lindor’s fourth-inning home run, so when Pete Alonso stepped up later in the game, DeMarsico got a little bold.
“Get me Judd Apatow for his reaction to this home run,” DeMarsico can be heard saying. “No, go ahead and get him. It’s gonna be a home run right here. I’m telling you…told ya.”
He called it.
When Citi Field feels like Hollywood, it’s only right that the broadcast does too.