Between Rookie Of The Year and Little Big League, the idea of kids doing adult jobs in baseball is nothing new. But while that’s a concept that’s typically been reserved for Hollywood, SNY and the New York Mets made it a reality on Monday night with their annual “Kidcaster” broadcast.
The winner of this year’s contest, 9-year-old Kingston Nahm-Korn joined the SNY Mets team of Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez for the fourth inning of New York’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field. After making small talk with the beloved SNY duo during the top half of the inning, Nahm-Korn took the reins of the game’s play-by-play in the bottom half of the fourth, making his signature call after Pete Alonso reached third base on a sacrifice groundout following a leadoff double to start the inning.
“He’s not too fast. But he’s faster than a real polar bear,” the 9-year-old said, referencing Alonso’s nickname.
Kingston says Pete Alonso is faster than a real polar bear 😂
➡️ @HSpecialSurgery pic.twitter.com/DBwCDSLG2W
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 20, 2024
Nahm-Korn then proceeded to call Tyrone Taylor’s RBI single, which brought Alonso home, giving New York a 3-0 lead.
“It is smacked through the hole, a base hit,” he said. “That will score Alonso and Alvarez pulls in at second with an RBI single for Tyrone Taylor. The Mets now lead 3-0 against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth.”
Kidcaster Kingston on the call for Taylor’s RBI knock 🥹 pic.twitter.com/eqeBBkWK0r
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 20, 2024
It’s one thing to call the essential parts of the play — the base hit and Alonso scoring — but another to have the awareness to also call what is happening elsewhere on the field before resetting with the score and inning. Nine-years-old or not, Nahm-Korn showed impressive broadcasting chops and seemingly has a bright future in the business if he chooses to pursue one.
Nahm-Korn wasn’t the only “Kidcaster” on Monday night, as 10-year-old guest field reporter Jedi Carp joined José Iglesias to perform the Mets’ anthem, “OMG” before the game.
10-year-old Guest Field Reporter Jedi Carp joined José Iglesias to perform “OMG” before tonight’s game! 🎶
➡️ @HSpecialSurgery pic.twitter.com/h63JZSrslQ
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 19, 2024
Despite the Mets’ early 3-0 lead, Baltimore battled back to tie the game at 3-3 before Francisco Alvarez’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave New York a 4-3 victory. With all due respect to Cohen, it was a moment that only would have been made better had Nahm-Korn still been in the booth.
[SNY]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.