Keith Hernandez returns to Mets booth following surgery: ‘When you’re on anesthesia, the time flies’

Credit: SNY

A little back surgery couldn’t keep Keith Hernandez from the SNY booth for very long.

The New York Mets legend was back in the booth Monday for the first time since early April, when he announced he was going to have back surgery that would keep him away for a few road trips. While he was initially expected to return on April 24, the Mets Hall-of-Fame first-baseman pushed it back to this series against the Colorado Rockies.

The 72-year-old was shown walking with a cane as he entered the broadcast booth at Denver’s Coors Field. Upon realizing he was being filmed, he held the cane in a batting stance and said, “I’m back, and I can still swing it.”

In the booth, he was greeted by festive balloons and an appreciative announcing partner in Gary Cohen.

“I am that old Simon and Garfunkel song, ‘Gee, it’s great to be back home.’ Home is where I want to be, right with you in the booth, Gare,” said Hernandez, who also shared details of the surgery that kept him away from the booth.

“It was a four-hour surgery… They cleaned it out,” he said. “I’ll say one thing: When you’re on anesthesia, the time flies.”

Hernandez’s return got off to an inauspicious start when his monitor went down during SNY’s lineup introductions, leaving him in the lurch as to who was playing where for the Rockies.

Cohen and Hernandez took some time to pay tribute to John Sterling, the longtime Yankees announcer who died on Monday.

For some reason, the “You Are Special” balloon behind Hernandez kept bopping him in the head during the broadcast, and Cohen could hardly contain the laughter as Keith attempted to power through.