"Stick to Hockey" - Keith Hernandez trolls Howie Rose after New York Mets radio host delivers shocking first pitch in Queens

Long-time New York Mets fans will be very familiar with Howie Rose. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the team, Rose has been delivering Mets games to fans over the airwaves since 1995.

Rose soon became the protege of long-time Mets radio announcer Bob Murphy. After Murphy's retirement in 2003, Howie Rose was inserted into the play-by-play role alongside Gary Cohen on WFAN radio.

"One of the best in baseball! Take a listen as Howie Rose calls Walker’s walk-off." - New York Mets

With a catchphrase as iconic as "Put it in the books", Rose has a way of adding excitement for fans, many of whom have listened to his voice caling Mets games for their entire lives.

Ahead of the Mets' contest against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on May 31, Rose was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Like countless other figures before him, his delivery was not exactly up to MLB standards.

After Rose's pitch bounced several feet wide of home plate, SNY commentator Keith Hernandez began to rip into Rose, saying he should "stick to hockey." Hernandez, who helped the New York Mets to victory in the 1986 World Series as a player, has been calling Mets games on SNY TV for nearly as long as Rose has.

"Mets radio voice Howie Rose threw out the first pitch ahead of Wednesday's game vs the Phillies. Keith Hernandez: 'Oh my god... Howie... Howie... stick to hockey.'" - Awful Announcing

The hockey jab is in reference to Howie Rose's previous job as a hockey commentator, a gig that predates his baseball radio occupation. Rose began calling New York Rangers hockey games in the early 1990s, and was on-hand for their Stanley Cup win in 1994. Rose continued to call New York Islanders games on TV before he retired in 2011.

Despite his less-than-perfect delivery, Rose is held in high esteem around the baseball world. He is an inductee of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the New York Baseball Hall of Fame, and a pending inductee into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Howie Rose's good nature makes botched throw all the more enjoyable

While Hernandez' comments may come off as terse and derisive, they are actually an amicable tease of an old friend. Unlike Hernandez, Rose never competed in any sport professionally and is likely all-too-aware of it. Always quick with a quip or witticism, Rose knows how to self-depricate with the best of them.