Keith Hernandez Still Benefiting from ‘Seinfeld’ Appearance

Over three decades later, Keith Hernandez is still enjoying the financial perks of his memorable role in “Seinfeld.”

The Mets legend recently shared with SI Media’s Jimmy Traina that he continues to receive a retainer check for his guest appearance on the iconic show. This came during the two-part episode “The Boyfriend,” which originally aired on February 12, 1992.

“It varies a bit, but I’d say I still make around $5,000 a year. It’s definitely the gift that keeps on giving,” Hernandez chuckled while on the SI Media Podcast.

“Just remember, I was a guest star,” he added.

In this classic two-part episode, Hernandez portrayed a fictional version of himself, embroiled in a quirky love triangle involving Jerry Seinfeld and Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The storyline revolved around Seinfeld and Benes competing for Hernandez’s affection, interjected with a humorous plot reminiscent of a John F. Kennedy scenario. In this, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) and Newman (Wayne Knight) claimed that Hernandez had called Newman “stupid” following a fictional game against the Phillies on June 14, 1987.

Ultimately, it was revealed that the real source of the so-called “Magic Loogie” was Roger McDowell, a former Mets reliever.

Hernandez’s character left the show when he moved out of his brownstone, and Benes ended their fling after he lit a cigarette on their date.

While Hernandez had dialogue in the two-part episode, he later made a brief, non-speaking appearance in the show’s final episode in 1998.

The “The Boyfriend” episodes gained immense popularity, even receiving a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best Episodic Comedy, thanks to writers Larry David and Larry Levin.

Now a New York Emmy Award-winning broadcaster for SNY, Hernandez started announcing Mets games back in 1998 alongside Gary Cohen and Ron Darling. Recently, he signed a three-year contract extension that keeps him with SNY until the end of the 2029 season.