Keith Hernandez called the Tampa Bay Rays “very woke” during a Wednesday night broadcast. This comment came right after the crew discussed the team dropping “Devil” from their name years ago. It was a strange moment for a game where the Mets took two out of three from the series. The Mets won the final contest thanks to a game-winning hit from Austin Wells. But the talk in the booth overshadowed the score for a few seconds.
The Name Change Debate
The crew was just trying to explain why the team is now the Rays. Ron Darling stated that they started out as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Gary Cohen chimed in with a specific worry, saying “Too much satanic connotation” about the old name. Hernandez then broke out his two-word contribution to the chat. He labeled the franchise “Very woke” per Yahoo Sports. This remark stuck because the word “woke” usually describes social issues, not baseball uniforms. Merriam-Webster defines the term as being aware of societal facts, especially regarding justice. Using it for a baseball team felt odd to many listeners.
Hernandez has been with SNY since the channel launched in 2006. This marks his 21st season in the booth. He is a legend in New York with two World Series rings. With 11 Gold Gloves to his name, the Mets retired his No. 17. His opinion carries weight with fans who have watched him for decades. Yet, calling a team “very woke” for removing a devil from their name seemed like a stretch. The conversation happened while the Mets were scoring six runs in the first inning.
Game Action Overshadowed
The game itself was a blowout at times. New York scored the first six runs of the contest. A two-run single by Jared Young followed when Juan Soto singled and Carson Benge walked. Marcus Semien then drove in Young with a double. A Brett Baty double promptly unloaded the bases to make it 6-0. Cam Schlittler authored a dominant start for the Mets. He kept the Rays off the board early. The Rays finally responded with four unanswered runs in the middle innings. Taylor Walls walked and Yandy Díaz singled before Jonathan Aranda plated Walls with a single. Richie Palacios hit a three-run blast to right after Cedric Mullins and Chandler Simpson reached on singles.
Tampa Bay had some luck with rookie Nick Morabito. For the Rays series, he was recalled and entered as a pinch-runner during the sixth inning. Morabito hit a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning, his first ever big league hit. He added a single in the ninth inning and made a superb diving grab in the outfield. On the mound, Dylan Ross celebrated both his MLB debut and his 26th birthday on Tuesday night. Ross cruised through the dangerous Tampa lineup, needing just 11 pitches to put together a clean inning. He topped 99.2 mph on his fastball. Robert Stock was shelled for seven earned runs in his last outing, but he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his previous start. Stock earned his first MLB win since 2019.
Is It Really a Big Deal
The Mets beat the Rays in the series despite the noise. Griffin Jax was only able to give the Rays 2.2 innings in his first start off the IL. He allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks. Justin Hagenman and Chris Devenski combined to give up four runs on six hits and a walk in 3.2 innings for the Mets. Sean Manaea gave up five runs on 11 hits over just 5 2/3 innings of work on Tuesday. The broadcast moment will likely be a footnote in the history books. Given the relative low stakes of the conversation, it’s hard to know if Hernandez really has any hard feelings about the Rays removing the devil from their name per Yahoo Sports.
Hernandez was a .296 hitter in the big leagues with 2,182 hits. He shared 1979 MVP honors with Willie Stargell when he hit .344. His voice is a staple for Mets fans every night. The “very woke” comment was a brief flash in the pan. The team moves on to the next series without looking back. The real story remains the win and the strong pitching from the Mets’ staff. Fans will remember the score more than the booth banter. The Rays will try to bounce back, but the Mets hold the series win.
