Keith Hernandez celebrated an anniversary Friday.
No, it wasn’t the type of traditional anniversary most people celebrate. Instead, the SNY New York Mets analyst celebrated a game he never played in, featuring an error he didn’t commit, leading to an act he got unfairly blamed for by two fictional characters.
We’re referring, of course, to the classic Seinfeld episode that features the characters of Kramer and Newman meeting Hernandez.
For those who never saw the episode, or have forgotten it, Jerry Seinfeld befriends Hernandez at a local gym. The former MLB player visits Seinfeld’s apartment, where he meets Kramer and Newman, who say they “hate” and “despise” Hernandez for an error he committed in a game on June 14, 1987. The two recounted seeing Hernandez after the game, and Newman told him “Nice game, pretty boy,” leading Hernandez to spit on them (or so they thought).
With Friday being the 37th anniversary of that mythical game, SNY posted a clip of the episode on X.
“JUNE 14, 1987.”
37 years ago today, @keithhernandez was called a pretty boypic.twitter.com/4NNNazEPJK
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 14, 2024
Hernandez had some fun with the anniversary, posting his own message on X.
“Hey Jerry, 37 years ago, I made that error against the Phillies in 1987, June 14 — do you remember?” Hernandez said in a video. “Newman and Kramer, I ruined their day. Happy anniversary — 37 years ago, can you believe it?”
“Nice game, pretty boy.”
37 years ago, Keith Hernandez made Kramer and Newman very angry on @SeinfeldTV. ⚾️📺
Keith shares a message about the anniversary for @SNYtv: pic.twitter.com/eGJArmHDTA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 14, 2024
The episode, “The Boyfriend,” originally aired Feb. 12, 1992. Both Seinfeld and series co-creator Larry David have credited it with helping boost the show’s popularity. And Hernandez, who had retired as an MLB player in 1990, told Vulture.com last year, “Seinfeld gave me an extra life. When I retired, I thought I would be forgotten.”
Yet here he is all these years later, the life of the party in the Mets broadcast booth.
Oh, as for that mythical game against the Phillies on June 14, 1987 supposedly marred by a Hernandez error — it never happened. The Mets played on the road the Pittsburgh Pirates that day, with Hernandez keying a 7-3 win with a home run and two RBIs.
Hernandez did not make an error. And he did not spit on anyone.
Still, it’s a day to celebrate for Seinfeld and MLB fans who love the episode.
[SNY; Photo Credit: CastleRock Entertainment]
