Keith Hernandez is back in the booth. He should probably have stayed in bed.
The 72-year-old Mets broadcaster was on the call for Sunday’s Subway Series game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees at Citi Field. It was his first broadcast since recent back surgery. With two on and two out in a late inning, Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped to the plate. Hernandez introduced him to a national audience as “Chazz Jizzholm.”
The mic was hot. The clip was instant. Mets Twitter was unforgiving.
Chisholm struck out swinging to end the inning, which softened the moment slightly. The Mets went on to beat the Yankees 7-6, which softened it a bit more. None of that has stopped the clip from being shared everywhere on Monday morning. It is the kind of moment that lives forever in baseball broadcast bloopers.
This is the part where you have to point out that Keith Hernandez is a treasure. He has been a fixture on SNY’s Mets broadcasts for two decades. He has won an MVP, two World Series rings, and 11 Gold Gloves. He has charmed two generations of Mets fans with his dry humor, his obsession with players’ hometowns, and his refusal to take himself too seriously.
He has also, for years, had problems with Jazz Chisholm’s name. This is not the first time Hernandez has slipped on the Yankees infielder. Back in 2023, when Chisholm was still on the Marlins, Hernandez once called him “Chaz Jizzem” during a spring training game. The clip went viral that time too. He apologized, the world moved on, and everyone agreed it was a one-off.
Sunday was not a one-off. Sunday was history repeating itself with a creative new ending.
You almost have to admire the consistency. Two flubs, two different names, both starring the same Yankees second baseman. At this point Jazz Chisholm Jr. should just appear on SNY in the offseason and personally walk Hernandez through the pronunciation.
The bigger question is whether anyone in the booth caught it live. Gary Cohen, the Mets’ play-by-play announcer, did not appear to immediately correct Hernandez. The broadcast moved on. If you were not listening closely, you might not have noticed. If you were listening closely, you definitely noticed.
The Mets did not respond publicly. SNY did not issue a statement. Hernandez has not apologized yet, although that may come. The standard playbook here is to let Hernandez make a joke about it the next time he is on the air, the audience laughs, and the moment becomes another Keith Hernandez story.
That is probably how this ends. Hernandez gets one of those “I cannot believe I did it again” segments. Chisholm shrugs and goes 2-for-4 in the next game. SNY collects the clip view counts.
For now, Mets fans are stuck explaining “Chazz Jizzholm” to every Yankees fan in their group chat. It is going to be a long week. It might be a long career. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is only 28. There is a real chance Keith Hernandez calls him a third name before this is all over.
Welcome back to the booth, Keith. The Mets won. The internet noticed. Mission accomplished.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
