When ESPN decides to talk baseball, it rarely ends well. The network’s track record in recent years has been a parade of forced takes, misplaced narratives, and a general sense that whoever’s speaking hasn’t enjoyed a game since the Clinton administration. On Wednesday, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo kept that streak alive, turning a New York Mets milestone into a lecture straight out of Old Man Yells at Cloud.
The Rant That Nobody Asked For
On Tuesday night, Pete Alonso passed Darryl Strawberry to become the Mets’ all-time home run leader with No. 253, later adding No. 254 for good measure. It was a rare bright spot during a stretch in which the Mets have lost 11 of 13 games and watched the Phillies pull away in the NL East.
But instead of letting fans have their celebration, Russo went on air the next morning and unloaded on the whole thing.
“I cannot believe the big deal people are making about Pete Alonso being the franchise record-holder now for home runs,” Russo said, his voice climbing into that familiar high-pitched “Mad Dog” territory. “Nobody in Metville that I know, and I know a lot of Met fans, [cares] after a stretch where they’ve lost 11 of 12 and allowed the Phillies to bury them. Now we’re going to make a big deal about Alonso’s home run?”
From there, Russo turned his attention to Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen, whose “Outta here! Outta here!” call for the record-breaker apparently hit his nostalgia nerves in all the wrong ways. “And I love Gary Cohen, but did you hear his call? This is a little over the top,” Russo said, impatiently urging producers to play the clip so viewers could hear precisely what he meant.
Turning Joy Into Grievance
It wasn’t just Cohen’s enthusiasm that bugged Russo—it was the idea that anyone would treat this milestone as significant in the first place. “You can’t even tell me what the home run record was before this nonsense,” he barked. “This is ridiculous, and by the way, if the Mets love Alonso so much, why didn’t they pay him in the offseason for crying out loud? 254 homers? That’s ridiculously low.”
That last point is where the rant jumped the tracks. Alonso signed a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after this season. And while Russo is correct that 254 career home runs isn’t near the MLB record books, it’s still the top mark in Mets history, which is precisely why it meant something to the fanbase.
But context didn’t seem to be the goal here. Instead, Russo came off like the guy at a birthday party telling everyone why cake is sour for you while the candles are lit.
Even in a rough season, fans deserve to celebrate a moment like Alonso’s. The Mets slugger has been the face of the franchise for years, and passing a name like Darryl Strawberry—one of the most iconic players in team history—is hardly trivial. Cohen’s call was pure baseball joy, something the sport could use more.
Unfortunately, ESPN’s baseball segments are less about joy and more about who can shout the loudest. On Wednesday, Chris Russo took the mic—and reminded everyone why so many fans roll their eyes when ESPN dips its toes back into MLB coverage.
Mets Joy Over Slugger’s Milestone Gets Crushed by ESPN