Ranking the 10 best cinematic broadcast shots from the NY Mets season

Some nights, the box score barely mattered. What kept fans glued to the broadcast was everything taking place around the game itself. Howie, Ron, and Keith have won awards before, both together and individually, but this season the real magic lived behind the cameras. John DeMarsico, the Director of SNYtv, has long preached that baseball is cinema, and his crew treated 2025 like a full-season production. As the New York Mets made watching them an emotional obstacle course, the camera crew went full Spielberg, dipped into Scorsese, and found creative ways to keep fans engaged even when the baseball itself refused to cooperate. Over six months, those moments quietly stacked into a Hollywood-level masterclass.

The top 10 shots where baseball became cinema for the Mets in 2025

10. The dugout celebration snapshot

Juan Soto’s two-run homer, scoring Francisco Lindor, ended with the camera finding Lindor and Soto celebrating in the dugout with Starling Marte. A celebration used in 2024, carried into this season, and one Mets fans hope to see Lindor and Soto sharing together for years to come.

9. Blink and you miss it

Juan Soto's dealing with something in his eye led to medical help, then a perfect transition using a blinking eye to wipe the screen. So good it almost deserved a late-season encore, blinking shut and leaving the screen blank while the Mets put everyone to sleep.

8. The Thomas Crown Affair split screen

Bases loaded, the New York Yankees in town, and Francisco Lindor at the plate got the The Thomas Crown Affair treatment. The split-screen, multi-panel look with tension everywhere. If the clubhouse comes together this season, that split screen might be ready for a full Brady Bunch moment.

7. The Carlos Mendoza decision, Challengers style

Carlos Mendoza centered, with Tong in the dugout and Tyler Rogers in the bullpen, dissolving into one another in Challengers–style editing. One decision, multiple options. Film editing that could double as every Mets fan pondering David Stearns’ moves this offseason.

6. The step on the logo shot

A quick cut caught Juan Soto setting his front foot in the batter's box, with a Yankees logo perfectly overlaid so it looked like he was stepping right on it. A very short shot but a very loud message. Mets fans loved it, and Soto sure looks like he’s having a great time in orange and blue.

5. The snow globe effect

Sean Manaea, taking the mound, looked like it was filmed through a snow globe, or as Ron put it, the Sphere in Las Vegas. Fitting, really. It felt like David Stearns’ best snow globe impression this offseason, shaking the roster and hoping everything would settle into place.

4. In the camera lens

Pete Alonso warming up before his at-bat was shown through the camera lens itself, straight out of The Substance. Fitting enough, it felt like a rearview mirror shot. Unfortunately, that’s how Mets fans are now watching Alonso after this offseason.

3. The Natural Tribute

After Robert Redford’s passing, Brett Baty’s home run got the The Natural ending treatment. Fireworks overlaid to make it feel like Citi Field’s lights were exploding. A small, cinematic nod that turned one swing into a moment. Mets fans are hoping this is the season Baty finally turns into Wonderboy.

2. The skyline arrival

Nolan McLean, framed with the New York City skyline fading in behind him, was a perfect visual. The season is over, but he remains one of the true bright spots on this team and its future. One image that made the present feel promising and the city feel connected to what’s next.

1. The apple that called its shot

One of those peek-behind-the-curtain moments made this one special. During an inside-the-broadcast look at how shots are chosen, Juan Soto stepped in while a fan flashed a replica Citi Field apple, hoping to spark some magic. The crew leaned into it, cutting to the real apple in center. The very next pitch, Soto launched his career-high 42nd homer, nearly clipping it. Cinema predicting reality, almost perfectly.