Mets, Phillies announcers can’t believe mid-play sunglasses move

A pet peeve of many baseball viewers is when a defensive player has their sunglasses on their hat, rather than over their eyes, when the sun is out.

And during Sunday’s game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies rookie outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. did put on his sunglasses, but he waited until the flyball was already in the air to do so.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the second inning, New York’s Carson Benge hit a flyball to right field. As the flyball approached Rincones in the outfield, he took the sunglasses off his head and put them on, roughly two seconds before he made the catch on what turned into a sacrifice fly.

Rincones taking his sunglasses off his hat and putting them on, as he’s trying to catch the ball. pic.twitter.com/W87txxmrZm

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 19, 2026

Each team’s broadcast booth was stunned by what they saw.

“Yeah, that’s what he’s trying to do,” Phillies color commentator John Kruk said on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast about Rincones’ mid-play sunglasses move. “I’ve never seen that.”

“Holy cow,” Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy added.

He put his sunglasses on mid-fly ball and made the play 😮 pic.twitter.com/QemAbFuXhK

— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026

The SNY Mets booth was particularly flummoxed by what they witnessed.

Phillies right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. put his sunglasses on while Carson Benge’s fly ball was in the air pic.twitter.com/LGqP56xxgQ

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 19, 2026

“Watch his glasses; watch what he does,” Mets color commentator Keith Hernandez said on the SNY broadcast. “They’re not flip-downs. ‘Oh, I’d better put them on.’ Really?!”

“He takes them off the top of his head!” SNY color commentator Ron Darling explained.

“I have never seen that!” Hernandez, a former star first baseman, continued. “And he lost the ball in the process.”

“I’ve seen that at Macy’s,” Darling said. “I don’t see it on the field.”

“Oh my g- that’s a fine,” Hernandez added.

It wasn’t a very smooth effort by the Phillies all game in what turned into a 6-1 loss, and a series loss at home, to a disappointing Mets team that improves to 42-58 with the win.