David Cone suffers first career hamstring injury in Yankees broadcast booth

It might only be April, but the physical toll of a 162-game Major League Baseball season is already showing itself in the New York Yankees broadcast booth.

Michael Kay, Paul O’Neill and David Cone were on the call for the Yankees 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night on for a Prime Video broadcast.

And during the sixth inning, on a cool night in the Bronx, Cone caught O’Neill’s attention when he jumped out of his seat in pain.

“How’s that leg, Coney? You got a little cramp working there?” O’Neill asked with a chuckle. “Thought you were doing a dance move but then I saw a grimace on your face.”

“Yeah, I got a little hammy,” Cone confirmed while groaning through every word. “Oh, man. I got a little hammy! Oh, man, right in the belly of my hamstring.”

Less than 20 seconds later, they already had a replay of David Cone jumping out of his seat cued up on the broadcast.

“It’s just a clown show up here,” Cone said after watching the replay of him jumping out of his seat in pain. “I’m sorry folks.”

Don’t be sorry, we’ve all been there before. Except for Cone, oddly enough. Cone pitched nearly 3,000 innings in 450 games during his MLB career and managed to avoid a hamstring injury. Yet here’s the 62-year-old former Cy Young Award winner having to battle through one in the booth.

You know the Yankees injury bug is getting bad when it spreads to their broadcasters. And with Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Giancarlo Stanton already on the 60-day injured list this season, the Yankees can’t really afford to lose anyone else. Their broadcast booth, however, is one area where the Yankees seemingly have an endless supply of backups.

But Kay, O’Neill and Cone are still the Yankees A-team. The banter is different in the booth when those three are there. And they proved it again Wednesday night, even while playing hurt.