Category: Sports News

Knicks television voice Mike Breen made a surprise appearance on SNY's Mets pregame show and during Wednesday's Mets and Brewers broadcast as a special guest in the booth alongside Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez.

Breen talked about his Mets fandom, calling Knicks games and much more. 

Here are five memorable moments from the broadcast...

Keith is Breen’s favorite

Breen was giddy sitting between Cohen and Hernandez, especially Hernandez, whom the longtime Knicks broadcaster said was his favorite player of that era.

“I’ve been a Met fan since I was seven, that’s 1968. Every era you have a favorite player. Bud Harrelson was and always will be my favorite," Breen said. "But each era I had a favorite player, and the ‘86 championship, you were my favorite. We've met a number of times, but I've never told you."

And in classic Keith fashion, he wanted to hear more praise from Breen.

"Tell me why, I want to hear it," Hernandez said.

Keith's defense is why he was Breen's favorite, and he even called Keith the best defensive first baseman in MLB history. 

Mike Breen tells Keith that he was his favorite player on the 1986 Mets

Mike: "We've met a number of times, but I've never told you"

Keith: "Tell me why, I want to hear it" 😂 pic.twitter.com/QHSP0EpsEW

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

Breen covering the 1986 Mets

Before becoming the voice of the Knicks in 1991, Breen worked for WNBC radio and covered the Mets during the 1986 playoffs. 

"I called you Mr. Hernandez, which I realize was a mistake at the time,” Breen told Hernandez and Cohen.

Breen revealed that Keith didn't answer his questions when approached and that some of the beat writers were happy since they didn't want the radio guys in the locker room. 

"Usually you were a great quote back then. The writers loved you," Breen said of Hernandez.

"I know," Hernandez quipped.

Breen also told a story of when he had to watch Game 6 of the 1986 World Series from the Red Sox booth since there wasn't room in the press box. 

"I was in the back of the Red Sox radio booth when the ball went through [Bill] Buckner's legs, and I’m embarrassed to admit, I lost any kind of professional conduct... I'm jumping up and down," Breen said.

Mike Breen says he tried to interview Keith during the 1986 playoffs when he was a reporter for WNBC radio:

Keith: "You can't do that"

Mike: "I called you Mr. Hernandez" 😂 pic.twitter.com/HiiE73xTCe

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

Mike Breen talks about his experience in the back of the Red Sox radio booth during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series: pic.twitter.com/iLpo9kIwAB

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

Breen, Clyde and Keith

It's hard to talk about Breen's history with the Knicks without including Walt "Clyde" Frazier. 

Breen explained that he had a poster of Clyde in his room where he lived in Yonkers, so it was a treat to get to work with him.

"It's been one of the gifts of my life," Breen said of working with Clyde. "As a 10-year-old, this is a guy I idolized and now it's a lifelong friendship."

Hernandez also had a somewhat working relationship with Clyde. The two former athletes famously appeared in Just for Men commercials and he spoke about that experience.

"They put so much dye, you can see. So much fun working with Clyde," Keith said. "We did that for about seven years, that was the gift that kept giving... Walt, with his poetry. I had a big thrill. I was in high school when the Knicks won with Willis Reed… we loved Clyde and to have to work with him. Such a kind man and such a class act."

"It's been one of the gifts of my life."

Mike Breen talks with Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez about working with Clyde Frazier 🫶 pic.twitter.com/G9bvvs3BDO

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) August 27, 2026

Breen on Mets' future

The 2026 Mets season has been a disappointment, even to Breen, who says he's the "optimistic" one out of his Met fan friends. But although this season hasn't gone how many expected, Breen is optimistic about what he has seen from the youngsters.

"Clearly, this year was so rough. I didn't really know what was going to happen, but it was disappointing early. But I love what I'm seeing now," Breen said. "You see young players that you can tell have a chance to be here for a while. That's a part of it. Fans, we care so much and there's nothing better when they're winning.

"Two years ago was one of the great times for me as a Met fan. This is disappointing, but it's what makes the great moments special."

Breen put it into perspective. He called Knicks teams that won just 17 games, and now he's called the first Knicks championship in over 50 years. 

He also shouted out A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge and Zac Thornton on the broadcast.

Mike Breen says it's "so much fun" watching the Mets' young players and talks about being a Mets fan:

"There's nothing better when they're winning. Two years ago was one of the great times for me as a Met fan. This is disappointing, but it's what makes the great moments special" pic.twitter.com/zqjQS3Aql5

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

"21 years of sustained excellence"

For 21 years, Gary, Keith and Ron have graced the SNY airwaves. During Mets pregame, Breen called him being in the SNY booth on Wednesday a "bucket list" moment. And when he finally got to the booth, Breen wanted to acknowledge them.

"There's no booth that's been better. And I'm not talking local, any booth in the history of baseball broadcasting," Breen said. "I speak for many Met fans, this is 21 years of sustained excellence. It's just such a treat to have you guys night in and night out."

 

Mike Breen says it's a "bucket list" moment for him to be in the booth for part of tonight's Mets game:

"I love that booth. It's one of the great booths of all-time." pic.twitter.com/PetadI0gR0

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 26, 2026

"I can't believe I'm sitting here. I'm like a kid in a candy store."

- Mike Breen pic.twitter.com/NizhANmjpw

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

Mike Breen with some kind words for the SNY booth 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/GzRAVU5PJQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

If you were hoping to be entertained by the Mets tonight, well, here’s hoping you were at home to hear Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez go through baseball cards in the eighth and ninth innings, something they hadn’t done yet this season.

As for the game, the Mets mustered just one run despite the fact that Brewers starter Dustin May threw just one pitch. A.J. Ewing led off the bottom of the first inning with a smoked line drive that hit saw May turn his back to avoid the worst and take it square off his right shoulder blade.

Robert Gasser took over for him from there, and he threw five-and-one-third innings with six strikeouts and gave up just one run. And unfortunately, Mets starter Robert Stock didn’t come close to matching that line. After throwing a scoreless top of the first, Stock surrendered seven runs on ten hits with two strikeouts and two walks in four innings.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the Brewers’ biggest inning of the night saw them hit single after single, playing the kind of baseball that brings back memories of the 2015 Royals. I suppose you have to respect it when it works, but you certainly don’t have to find it an enjoyable version of the sport.

On the injury front, Bo Bichette left the game a few innings early after having fouled a ball of his foot earlier in the game. The Mets announced that he’d left with a contusion.

And with the game out of hand and no signs that a comeback might be in the works, the Mets opted to give Francisco Lindor the latter portion of the game off.

Despite all of that, the Mets have a chance to win the series in the rubber game tomorrow night at Citi Field. And if you missed Gary and Keith talking about those baseball cards, you can skip the rest of the highlights and just go watch those last three half-innings of this one.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
Brew Crew Ball

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: none
Big Mets loser: Robert Stock, -35% WPA
Mets pitchers: -35% WPA
Mets hitters: -15% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: William Contreras pops out in the top of the fifth, +6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Andrew Vaughn singles in the top of the second -10% WPA

The Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, 8-1.

Here are the takeaways...

-- It was a difficult night for Robert Stock, who allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits and two walks in four innings after two consecutive starts of giving up one run, albeit in just 4.1 innings both times.

Stock’s troubles began in the first inning when the Brewers got two of the first three batters to reach base, but the right-hander stranded them with a groundout and a popout to keep Milwaukee off the board.

He wasn’t so lucky in the second when the Brewers did exactly what the Brewers do: play small ball and string together six straight singles to go up 4-0. The inning could’ve been worse for Stock, but Milwaukee ran itself out of a bigger inning, making two outs on the base paths.

After a relatively quiet third inning, the Brewers went back to work in the fourth with two more singles to bring up Brice Turang, who got the big hit for Milwaukee, a three-run shot to right-center to make it 7-0, Brewers.

Stock’s night was done after recording the final two outs of the fourth. He threw 87 pitches (59 strikes) and saw his ERA skyrocket from 5.40 to 7.40.

-- On the other side, the Mets were supposed to face right-hander Dustin May, but he exited the game after just one pitch after taking a 106 mph liner off the bat of A.J. Ewing off the shoulder blade.

May’s replacement was left-hander Robert Gasser, who gave New York’s left-handed heavy lineup fits through 5.1 innings of one-run ball.

-- The only run the Mets scored on the night came on Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single in the fourth. New York did scratch out nine hits, two apiece by Brett Baty and Marcus Semien, but couldn’t push across any more runs. Carson Benge went 1-for-4 to extend his hit streak to six games.

-- The good news: Ewing, back in the leadoff spot, stole two bases to give him 21 steals this season, the fourth time a Mets rookie has stolen 20 or more bases in a single season.

-- The bad news: Bo Bichette left the game in the fifth inning with a left foot contusion.

Game MVP: Robert Gasser

Coming into the game on short notice, Gasser mowed down the Mets' lineup and got the win.

Highlights

Francisco Alvarez with an RBI single to get the Mets on the board pic.twitter.com/XwNCoRWVvg

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Brewers close out their three-game series at Citi Field on Thursday night with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

LHP Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.31 ERA) will face NL Cy Young frontrunner RHP Jacob Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68 ERA).

Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the New York Mets 8-1 in the second game of their three-game set on Wednesday evening, but the story of the night was Dustin May’s injury just one pitch into the game.

Things started nicely for Sal Frelick in his return from injury, as he drilled a 103.6-mph single off the glove of Jared Young at first. He’d advance to third on a walk and a groundout, but Milwaukee couldn’t cash it in as William Contreras popped out to end the inning.

That’s when things got rough.

On the first pitch of the game from May, Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing lined it right back at him at 106 mph off the bat. It deflected off May to third baseman David Hamilton, who recorded the out at first, but May exited after a visit from the trainer with what was later diagnosed as a “right scapula contusion,” AKA a bruised shoulder blade, after X-rays came back negative.

The line drive got May in the back. Behind the right shoulder. After a long check with the medical staff, he's coming out of the game. Robert Gasser in. pic.twitter.com/LCwTPC9KMF

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 26, 2026

With May gone after just one pitch, it was Robert Gasser, originally slated to pitch on Sunday, who entered the game. Gasser finished the inning on just four pitches, but the Brewers were in a bullpen hole early in their second game of a 16-game, 16-day stretch.

Looking for some offense, Milwaukee immediately strung together some hits against Robert Stock in the second.

Luis Lara, Andrew Vaughn, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell hit six consecutive singles, putting runners at the corners with no outs and a 4-0 lead.

Six straight hits produces four runs ❕ pic.twitter.com/FSWf9mwG1T

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 26, 2026

The rally was put to a halt there, though, as Mitchell was caught stealing second on what looked like it may have been an effort to induce a throw for Frelick to run home from third (which he didn’t), which was shortly followed by a fielder’s choice groundout at home and another groundout to end the frame.

Gasser, back for his first full inning in the second, worked around a pair of two-out singles for a scoreless frame. He then worked around more traffic in the third, allowing a single and a walk as well as a pair of stolen bases, but the Mets were unable to get anything across.

I interrupt your regularly scheduled recap to offer you a bonus clip of the squirrel that was seen running around Citi Field in the middle of the game, even causing a brief delay on the field.

Update: https://t.co/VYezh7WBZn now features wildlife programming

🎙️ @JLevering4pic.twitter.com/NHf2dIHvW3

— Brewers.TV (@BrewersdotTV) August 27, 2026

Back to the recap: In the fourth, Milwaukee added to the lead against Stock, as Pratt singled and Mitchell singled to put runners at the corners with one out and Brice Turang at the plate. Turang fell behind 1-2, but after fouling off a few pitches, he handled a sweeper on the inner third of the zone and promptly put it into the bullpen in right-center for his 17th homer of the year, extending Milwaukee’s lead to 7-0.

Not even the slightest doubt about that one@BRiCEcTuRANGhttps://t.co/G18Vp4tMVKpic.twitter.com/A7N2xHMCJo

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 27, 2026

Gasser had yet another traffic-heavy inning in the fourth, as, after recording two groundouts, he walked Brett Baty and allowed a pair of singles to Marcus Semien and Francisco Alvarez, giving New York their first run of the game to make it 7-1.

Milwaukee tacked on another in the sixth against reliever Chayce McDermott, who allowed a double to Frelick, walked Turang, and gave up a run-scoring single to Yelich, extending the lead to 8-1.

Yeli drives in run number 8 of the night pic.twitter.com/fDpF6xVS6A

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 27, 2026

Gasser, who provided the length that was needed in the moment, exited with two outs in the bottom of the sixth after allowing another two-out single. It wasn’t the best game for Milwaukee’s lefty, but he did his job, working 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed on six hits and a pair of walks, striking out six.

Grant Anderson took over from Gasser and, after allowing a single, retired the next four hitters in order to get Milwaukee to the eighth inning with an 8-1 lead.

Bryse Wilson then worked around a pair of singles to get out of a jam in the eighth, Lara just missed what would have been his second career homer (first in the non-position player pitching category), and Wilson set the Mets down in order in the ninth, and this one was over.

The Brewers snapped a two-game skid with their 82nd victory tonight, and May’s diagnosis seems like the best-case scenario given the scary scene in the first — we’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

Offensively, every starter with the exception of Contreras had at least one hit, with Frelick (three hits, two RBIs) and Turang (three-run homer, two walks) leading the way.

Gasser picked up a well-deserved win in relief, and Anderson and Wilson preserved the seven-run lead over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Milwaukee will go for the win in Thursday’s rubber match, as Jacob Misiorowski is slated to pitch opposite Sean Manaea for New York. For the third straight night, first pitch is set for 6:10 p.m.

Elmer Rodriguez had his best start as a big leaguer and the Yankees offense erupted late in their 9-3 win over the Astros on Wednesday night. 

The Yankees outhit Houston 13-4 and were 5-for-15 with RISP. 

The Rays won earlier in the evening, so the Yankees remain 3.5 games behind for the AL East while the Red Sox's loss puts them 2.5 games back for the top wild card spot. 

Here are the takeaways...

-Rodriguez made his return to the Yankees on Wednesday and his defense betrayed him in the first. Trent Grisham misplayed a ball from Jose Altuve that would have been the third out; instead, Isaac Paredes scored from first base on the double.

Rodriguez settled in until the fourth when Daulton Varsho launched a solo shot to tie the game at 2-2. Despite that, Rodriguez pitched into the seventh before being pulled after walking Altuve to lead off the inning.

Paul Blackburn came in and allowed a hit and a walk, with Altuve coming around to score, but limited the damage by striking out the final two batters with the bases loaded. 

Rodriguez tossed 88 pitches (57 strikes) across six-plus innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six. 

-A day after the bullpen stumbled, Wednesday was back to normal for the Yankees relievers. The combination of Blackburn, the newly recalled Michael Fulmer, and Tim Hill got the final nine outs without allowing a run.

-The Yankees offense would get that run back, snapping their streak of scoreless first innings when Ben Rice smashed a solo shot off of Peter Lambert to knot things at 1-1. After a throwing error by Christian Walker put runners on second and third with one out, George Lombard Jr. had a productive out, pushing Luis Garcia Jr. across with a ground out to first base. 

Grisham pushed across the team's third run on a double play ball, but the offense finally broke out in the seventh. They scored four runs, with Cody Bellinger coming through with a two-run double to give New York the lead. Spencer Jones drove in a run with a single and Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s double rounded out the scoring.

Garcia put an exclamation point on the scoring with a two-run shot in the eighth. The first baseman went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. 

Game MVP: Cody Bellinger

Bellinger's two-run double gave the Yankees the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Highlights

The Astros score first after Trent Grisham is unable to make the play in center pic.twitter.com/RZ5MmuvH4W

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 26, 2026

Ben Rice ties the game with his 35th home run of the year! 🍚 pic.twitter.com/6E3UvjaHDC

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 26, 2026

Clutch pitching by Paul Blackburn to keep it tied 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TO6new0mgB

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 27, 2026

CODY BELLINGER PUTS THE YANKEES BACK IN FRONT! pic.twitter.com/W8b7oHDfH0

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 27, 2026

Spencer Jones brings home another run! pic.twitter.com/Em0ifzBFIy

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 27, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Astros complete their three-game series on Thursday evening. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Gerrit Cole (7-6, 3.11 ERA) will take the mound against Hayden Wesneski (3-1, 4.23 ERA). 

Royals 0 Blue Jays 3

I don’t like bullpen days, but teams are very successful on bullpen days. And the Jays have been especially successful on bullpen days.

I don’t like them because we go through so many pitchers. It messes up the pen for the next few days. Today we used seven pitchers. Seven:

• Spencer Miles pitched the first two innings, giving up two hits with one strikeout. He had a bit of a tough start to it, I was worried he wouldn’t get out of the first for a bit there, but he was just terrific.
• Brendon Little got the first two outs of the third inning, giving out two walks, one intentional (I was ok with it, considering it was Bobby Witt and a single and a strikeout.
• Chad Dallas came in with 2 out and bases loaded and got Sal Perez to strikeout. He would pitch 2.1 more innings, without giving up a base runner, and getting 4 strikeouts. Amazing job.
• Mason Fluharty came in with one out in the sixth. He got out of that inning, and got the first out of the seventh.
• Paul Sewald came in with one out and got a fly out and a line out.
• Tyler Rogers started the eighth. He got the first two outs, but gave up a single and a second singled that went right thru Vlad’s legs. 102 mph, so there wasn’t much time for reaction. I remember doing a physics problem in high school about Bobby Hull (yes I’m old) shooting at 100 mph, if the goalie had a reaction time of .5 of a second how far out would Hull have to be for the goalie to move before the puck went by him. It was slightly beyond the blue line. But athletes have better reaction times than that.
• Louis Varland came in with the tying run at the plate and got Jac Caglianone to ground out. In the ninth, he got two outs, then gave up a double and a single, before striking out Isaac Collins to end the game. No stress.

---

On offense, well, all the offense was a fourth inning home run by Nathan Lukes, with George Springer (single) and Jesús Sánchez (single) on base. Nathan wanted out forgiveness for yesterday and he got it. 390 feet to right center.

We only had 6 hits and 1 walk, but it was enough. Sánchez had two hits. Kirk, Okamoto (with a walk), Clement and Giménez had 0 fors.

Jays of the Day: Lukes (0.21 WPA), Dallas (0.21) and Sánchez (0.12). Let’s give honourable mention to Varland.

Other Award: Okamoto (-0.10).

Lukes didn’t seem to want the water poured on him after the game.

Tomorrow we have game three with the Royals. It is another 7:00 Eastern game. Noah Cameron (8-8, 4.02) takes time away from building the Ark. Spencer Arrighetti (7-6, 4.73) starts for the Jays. I think we should call him Pirate Spaghetti.

Kansas City had only a few opportunities to score and did not manage to cash in on any of them while the Blue Jays got one ball over the wall. It was enough to get a 3-0 victory and tie the series. The Royals 9-game win streak is at an end.

The Toronto bullpen took over tonight due to Shane Bieber’s move to the IL. They seemed to have the Royals’ number no matter which arm ran out there. The only real threat Kansas City could muster in the early part of the game was in the third when Tyler Tobert led off with a single followed by a Carter Jensen walk to get some runners set up for Bobby Witt. A double steal moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd, which allowed the Blue Jays an open base to intentionally walk Witt and load the bases. Was it a mistake to steal and take the bat out of Bobby’s hands? Possibly. Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez both struck out to strand all three.

Toronto was not putting tons of pressure on Randy Dobnak either. He had one base runner per inning until the fourth when the Jays managed to land the first blow of the game. George Springer leadoff with a single up the middle, which was followed by a broken bat bloop from Jesus Sanchez. Dobnak got an out and looked like he might get out of the situation, but Nathan Lukes got ahold of one and drove a 3-run homer to right. It was the second and final time they had runners in scoring position for the night, so it was a solid night of Royals pitching. A little bad luck plus a misplaced changeup did them in.

Dobnak managed to stay in there for the quality start finishing with a line of 6IP, 6H, BB, 5K, 3ER. He continues to give the Royals solid outings and has been a fantastic pickup on the cheap.

In the 8th inning, Carter Jensen finally got KC a hit after 16 consecutive batters failed to reach base after the bases loaded situation in the 3rd. If you are mad at me for a relatively light word count on this writeup, that is why. Bobby kept the two-out rally going and moved Jensen to third with a hard shot that took a weird hop right past Vlad Gurrero Jr. That brought in Louis Varland for a four out save. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season racking up almost 70 innings already with a sparkling ERA and peripherals to match. He retired Cags on one pitch to end the threat and then would return to try and finish the job in the 9th.

Meanwhile, Mason Black had a clean 7th after taking over for Dobnak and stayed in there for the 8th, which was another perfect inning. It was the first time Black entered the game and did not give up a run since June 7th!

Varland took care of Sal and Vinnie to start the ninth and bring the game down to the last out. Nick Loftin had other ideas. He hit a ball to the right center gap to get the Royals another scoring opportunity. John Rave almost scored him by singling up the middle, but Andres Giminez cut it off before it could get into center setting up first and third and bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Isaac Collins. That is where it ended with Collins striking out to bring an end to the game and the win streak.

The Royals and Blue Jays will decide the series in Canada tomorrow when Noah Cameron takes on Spencer Arrighetti.

The Red Sox took care of business by securing the series win in Miami Tuesday night. As a result, Boston kept Adley Rutschman and Willson Contreras off their feet Wednesday night as the Marlins, still in the NL Wild Card race, salvaged the finale with a 4-0 final. While the four errors on the night are mildly concerning after a few straight games of them, that should get cleaned up. The focus shifts to big weekend plans in New York. 

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday night’s loss. 

CEDDANNE ALMOST MADE THIS HAPPEN

While the defensive chaos of this play should not be celebrated, how on earth did Rafaela almost make this a remarkable play at the plate? 

Watch here. 

SONNY STILL SOLID
Sonny Gray took the mound in search of his 17th win of the season. He pitched well, he just didn’t have the (or any) necessary run support required to get there. 

Gray surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out five Marlins in five innings. That’s more than good enough to win, but ultimately (and no harm in doing so) the Red Sox punted to get revved up for the weekend in The Bronx. 

BE READY FOR THE BRONX

The Red Sox will trot out Patrick Sandoval, Jake Bennett and Ranger Suarez against the Yankees, who pushed Cam Schiltler back to throw against Boston. The Red Sox are still TBD for the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader. 

Starting Wednesday, the Red Sox trailed the Yankees by just 1 1/2 games for the top Wild Card spot. This weekend’s four-game set should go a long way in determining who could eventually host a potential first-round rematch entering October.

Mike Breen might have been a little too starstruck when he was in the Mets locker room during the halcyon days of 1986.

Breen, the avid Mets fan and Knicks play-by-play announcer on MSG Network, joined the SNY booth in the middle innings of Wednesday’s game against the Brewers and told the tale of how Keith Hernandez made him nervous.

Breen explained on the broadcast that he was working with WNBC radio during the ’86 playoff run. And even though Hernandez was known as a great quote and a favorite of the media, Breen was still, as an early career journalist, intimidated.

Mike Breen says he tried to interview Keith during the 1986 playoffs when he was a reporter for WNBC radio:

Keith: "You can't do that"

Mike: "I called you Mr. Hernandez" pic.twitter.com/HiiE73xTCe

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2026

“I called you Mr. Hernandez, which I realize was a mistake at the time,” Breen told Hernandez and Gary Cohen, who shared a few laughs over the retelling.

“I tried to ask a question, and you wouldn’t answer the question, but the writers were glad because they didn’t want the radio reporters there,” Breen continued. “I couldn’t tell you how intimidated I was, first off, because I was standing in front of Keith Hernandez. … You were a great quote back then, writers loved you. But I was 25, probably looked 17, and I was scared.”

Breen also revealed during the Mets’ World Series Game 6 against the Red Sox, he was also in the Red Sox radio booth as most of the Shea Stadium press areas were swarmed with members of the media.

As Mookie Wilson’s grounder went through Bill Buckner’s legs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Breen said he “lost any professional conduct” and the Sox announcers were “not happy” as he jumped up and down.

Breen, who called the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Finals run for ESPN, said that Wednesday, when he got to sit on the SNY pregame show before sitting in the TV booth for a few innings.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here. I’m like a kid in a candy store,” Breen said. “You guys have no idea how fun this has been for me tonight. I got to meet Sean Manaea, who I’m such a big fan of. I got to meet Zac Thornton, who I’m so impressed with. This is a big deal — I was on the field!”