Keith Hernandez Explains The Story Of His Hungry Cat As There’s A Drive Into Deep Left By Dom Smith

Those who tuned into Tuesday night's Mets-Phillies game via the local Mets broadcast on SNY were treated to a delirious but enjoyable digression in the top of the fourth inning. As Mets hitter Dominic Smith dug in to face Chase Anderson, a strange noise came over the broadcast. That's when a minute of pure television magic began:

Certainly a great deal of credit for this moment belongs to Keith Hernandez, who not only forgot to turn off the ringer on his phone, but delivered the line, "And I don't know if I'm going to be able to get in my house tonight," with the perfect amount of exasperation. But let's also acknowledge the work of Hernandez's colleagues in the booth, Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, who refused to let the ringing phone go unnoticed and then gently pulled the story of the hungry cat and the broken key out of the Mets legend. Of course, none of this would be as funny as it was had Smith not intervened with a precisely timed dinger.

Perhaps there is a higher power watching over the baseball universe, one who decided that for this season of renewal it is time to leave behind the sour (if hilarious) vibes of Nick Castellanos's drive into deep left field, which made it a 4-0 ballgame, and embrace something more wholesome. Thom Brennaman may not be putting on that headset again, but we can rest assured knowing that Keith Hernandez will be feeding that cat again.