New York Mets legend Keith Hernandez tells Tucker Carlson how 'Seinfeld' gave him 'another life'

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World Series champ Keith Hernandez has advice for today's baseball players

Five-time MLB All-Star Keith Hernandez opens up about his playing days on 'Tucker Carlson Today.'

New York Mets legend Keith Hernandez recounted how he made an even bigger name for himself after his retirement from professional baseball in 1990. 

The former Mets great joined ‘Tucker Carlson Today' on Wednesday to discuss his awards-filled Major League Baseball career and how one sitcom by the name of Seinfeld 'gave him another life' following baseball retirement. 

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Hernandez set the MLB alight while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and subsequently the New York Mets, earning multiple National League Golden Gloves, All-Star appearances, a league MVP, and two World Series titles. 

Former New York Met and current broadcaster Keith Hernandez speaks during a press conference before a game between the Mets and the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on July 09, 2022 in New York City.  (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

After retiring in 1990 following an injury, Hernandez had a career change that kept him in the spotlight. 

This time, he wasn't playing under the spotlights in the stadium, but in the lights before a studio audience. 

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He shared with Tucker Carlson how he managed to get called up from his last agent Scott Boras for the 'iconic' sitcom Seinfeld.

"I got this call… ‘they want you to do a sitcom, I mean, they want you to do the show, the "Seinfeld" show.’ And I don't watch primetime because, to this day, I don't, but because we were playing night games. I didn't watch TV." Hernandez started out, detailing his phone call with Boras.

"And I go, 'the "Seinfeld" show?' He goes, ‘they want you to just go to LA and do the shoot;’ he goes, ‘minimal lines,’ and I go, OK, and first thing I said, well, how much?' he jested, before revealing that NBC would pay him fifteen grand for what was his first ever acting experience.

SEINFELD -- Season 9 -- Pictured: (l-r) Michael Richards as Cosmo Kramer, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, Jerry Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld  (Andrew Eccles/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

"I was scared to death," Hernandez told Carson.

Despite his fear, Hernandez fit right in as himself with ‘the show about nothing', telling Carlson how the show's co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were baseball fans - with Seinfeld being a fan of Hernandez himself as a New York Mets supporter.

"And that's how they shaped that show. They told me, that was the second year of the show, I believe, or maybe the third, and the show hadn't really taken off. And Larry told me later that they knew they felt they had a winner. And they had it written for an hour to use on sweeps. And it was all reliant on how I came off." 

SEINFELD "The Finale: Part 1& 2" Episode 23 & 24 Pictured: (l-r) John O'Hurley as J. Peterman, Keith Hernandez as himself, Wayne Knight as Newman (Photo by Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images) (NBC / Contributor)

Carlson asked Hernandez if he has kept up with the cast members since his acting debut, to which Hernandez shared that he and Seinfeld still share a bond over baseball - and even catch Mets games together.

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Hernandez shared how his life was changed from being an illustrious baseball player to that of a star on the iconic sitcom.

"This gave me another life. Seinfeld was around the whole society of America and overseas," he said. "People still know me from that show. And it's hard to really realize. When I look at it, I get embarrassed. But it's over 30 years ago, for crying out loud." 

Watch more of Tucker Carlson's interview with MLB great Keith Hernandez on "Tucker Carlson Today" by subscribing to Fox Nation. 

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