The New York Mets suffered an especially brutal loss on Sunday, blowing a three-run lead to the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the 8th inning on an incomprehensible series of events involving two walks, two hit by pitches, one hit, and an error. All while some of his best relievers - including closer David Robertson - remained in the bullpen. Manager Buck Showalter was trying to save some arms, but when you're dropping your 15th game of the month, your fans probably don't care about your longterm plans.
The only good news for Mets fans was that they got to listen to one of the best booths in all of sports call the Mets' latest collapse. Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling again nailed the call during an inning that was thrilling for all the wrong reasons for the home broadcast.
Gary Cohen explains why Josh Walker is on the mound to start the eighth saying Mets hope to get out of this game without using Adam Ottavino and David Robertson as they wait for Drew Smith to return from suspension. Just as he finishes running through that list, Walker issues the first walk of the inning, prompting Darling to saying, "Oh boy, leadoff walks always are ominous."
Maybe the best part of this clip is the assorted reactions of Hernandez and Darling as they watch balls get bobbled in the infield and hit players at the plate. Just a delighful variety of pained ooooh noises that punctuate every embarassment, while Cohen's voice rises to the occassion as the tying and winning runs cross the plate before he simply calls it a bullpen meltdown. Just another great broadcast for the SNY booth.
And while we're here, let's also take a minute to appreciate this Mets fan who was sitting behind home plate for this baseball atrocity. He doesn't even wait for Jeff Brigham to hit Trea Turner. When he almost hits Trea Turner he just gets up and walks away, correctly guessing what he was about to witness.
While the Mets continue to struggle on the field, at least the people watching are operating at a very high level.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as SNY's Mets Broadcast Continues to Shine Despite Team's Struggles.
