New York Mets legend Keith Hernandez sat next to a Mets fan who was completely oblivious to his presence on the flight to San Diego for the team’s weekend series vs. the Padres at Petco Park.
Hernandez told the story in detail alongside play-by-play announcer Steve Gelbs (filling in for Gary Cohen) during Saturday night’s Mets-Padres broadcast on SNY.
“So, I flew on Delta from JFK to San Diego,” Hernandez, the longtime Mets color commentator, explained. “I made the mistake of having a window seat, and I was in Aisle 1. And I had a guy sitting in B next to me on my right in the aisle seat. And he had his full Met regalia. And he didn’t recognize who I was. I was into my iPad, the whole thing. The whole flight, he did not know who I was.
“We’re descending, and the flight attendant discovers that I had my laptop; I had it hidden in my newspapers. He goes, ‘You’ve gotta put that up in there.’ I had to get up and sidle over his legs. When I sidled back into my seat, I bent my leg, and I went down almost in his lap. And I just grabbed his television in front of him, and it saved me from falling in his lap. And he still didn’t know who I was!”
“He didn’t recognize you then?” Gelbs asked.
“No!” Hernandez responded.
Keith Hernandez explains how a guy next to him who was decked out in Mets gear didn’t recognize him for the entire flight to San Diego. ⚾️✈️🎙️😂 #MLB pic.twitter.com/bhc8NEIptf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2026
“So, to make a long story short, there was a couple behind that were Met fans and knew who I was,” Hernandez, who is also known for his guest star role on Seinfeld, said. “So, I turned to the wife when we landed, and I said, ‘Would you mind asking your husband to get my bag for me up on top?’ And they said, ‘Absolutely.'”
“The guy [next to] my seat went and got it, and then he looked at me, and he went, ‘Keith!'” Hernandez continued. “I said, ‘The whole flight!'”
“The whole flight, and you fell in his lap, and he still didn’t understand,” Gelbs said.
“I was so embarrassed, and I was worried that, you know, you never know with the internet today, not the interstate,” Hernandez said. “I fell, and they think I’m drunk, and I didn’t have one bit of alcohol on that entire flight. But it was embarrassing.”
Keith made reference to Manny Machado hitting “on the internet” amid his recent struggles@SteveGelbs: “I believe the word you were looking for there was ‘interstate’, not ‘internet'”
Keith: “Oh okay, sorry!” 😂 pic.twitter.com/n0SmDBNKSW
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 7, 2026
“I just want to know who this guy was,” Gelbs added.
“He’s at our hotel,” Hernandez said. “And the couple behind me; they’re all at the same hotel.”
“I know the couple behind you is at the same hotel, because when I got to the lobby a couple of days ago, they were very excited to tell me that they helped you with your bags.”
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.