Keith Hernandez is part of a highly respected New York Mets‘ regional broadcast crew that calls games on SNY.
He’s one of the color commentators and is joined by fellow former MLB player Ron Darling as well as play-by-play man Gary Cohen.
They’ve got a great rapport with one another, and they also aren’t afraid to speak their minds.
Hernandez in particular has been known to go on wandering rants during broadcasts that both entertain viewers but also make them wonder a bit where the one-time star is going with his point.
He’s been with SNY since its launch in 2006, making this his 21st season in the booth.
Hernandez was a .296 hitter in the big leagues with 2,182 hits, and he shared 1979 MVP honors with Willie Stargell when Hernandez hit .344. He has two World Series rings (Cardinals, Mets), won 11 Gold Gloves and has his No. 17 retired by the Mets.
That gives him some room to say what he wants, and he had an amusing moment on Wednesday night’s broadcast — he called the Tampa Bay Rays “woke.”
Merriam-Webster defines “woke” as: “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” noting that it is “chiefly U.S. slang.”
Why Did Keith Hernandez Call The Rays ‘Very Woke’?
Hernandez used the word in a bit of a different way as it usually is utilized.
The Mets’ broadcasters, in the second inning on Wednesday, found themselves discussing the origin of the MLB team in Tampa Bay.
That ballclub was known for its first decade of existence as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Now, they’re just the Tampa Bay Rays.
Darling started the moment with a simple fact: “They began as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.”
Cohen chimed in with: “Too much satanic connotation” — as in Satan, the Devil.
That’s when Hernandez broke out his two-word contribution: “Very woke.”
Ron Darling: “They began as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays”
Gary Cohen: “Too much satanic connotation”
Keith Hernandez: “Very woke” pic.twitter.com/awYrAjUxsV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 3, 2026
Given the relative low stakes of the conversation, it’s hard to know if Hernandez really has any hard feelings about the Rays removing “Devil” from their name.
For Mets fans used to listening to this crew, it was one of those moments that they’ve simply come to expect from their broadcasters. You never quite know where they might go in a given moment.
Mets Roll Past Rays
In the actual baseball game, the Mets had no problem whatsoever with the Rays.
New York scored three runs in the first and three in the third, never trailing while adding a third three-run inning in the seventh of a 10-4 win.
Juan Soto homered in the eighth inning when the game was well in hand. Soto, Carson Benge and Nick Morabito each had two hits apiece.
The Mets went with what amounted to a bullpen game, and it worked enough when paired with their solid offense to pick up a nice win over the AL East-leading Rays.
New York Mets Broadcaster Calls Tampa Bay Rays ‘Very Woke’