MLB's best moments on Saturday Night Live

Live from New York, it’s … Major League Baseball!

As NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend, we are reminded that television’s national institution and the national pastime are inextricably linked.

From Garrett Morris visiting the Weekend Update desk as fictional Mets infielder Chico Escuela to current cast member Marcello Hernández’s lampooning of Juan Soto’s free agency this past December, SNL and MLB have often crossed paths to deliver laughs to living rooms.

Here are some of our favorite examples of MLB stepping to the plate inside Rockefeller Center’s famed Studio 8H:

HOSTS

Derek Jeter (Dec. 1, 2001; musical guests Bubba Sparxxx and Shakira)

The Yankees had just lost a heartbreaking World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, interrupting the team’s dynasty. Jeter’s “Mr. November” nickname was still fresh, and though he didn’t know it as he addressed the audience that night, it would be another eight years before Jeter would secure another ring.

Jeter was admittedly out of his comfort zone when the lights came on, and his suit might have been a little too loose (hey, it was the early 2000s), but he settled in to deliver the goods. The airing is perhaps best remembered for a sketch with teammates David Cone and David Wells dressed in drag as the “Baseball Wives.”

“When they walked out, I just lost it," Jeter told the Players’ Tribune in 2024. "I have the utmost respect for all actors and actresses, because this is something that I could never get comfortable doing.”

Jeter and Red Sox fan Seth Meyers sparred during a spirited point/counterpoint segment at the Weekend Update desk, moderated by Tina Fey. A good portion of the audience will also never forget that Derek Jeter’s Taco Hole could be found off Route 3 in Nutley, N.J., next to Kinko’s and El Duque’s Shoe Repair.

Bob Uecker (Oct. 13, 1984; musical guest Peter Wolf)

Already well-known by the audience for frequent appearances on The Tonight Show and in TV commercials, as well as his playing and broadcast careers, “Mr. Baseball” tried his hand at sketch comedy in SNL’s 10th season.

The acting chops Uecker would soon flex in “Mr. Belvedere” were on display. In “Little League Trade,” Uecker played a hard-nosed coach delivering bad news to his son, played by Billy Crystal -- he’s being released after making an error in a game.

“I can’t believe my own father is kicking me off the team,” Crystal protests.

“No, not just off the team,” Uecker said. “I mean, you’re released from the family. You don’t live here anymore.”

The episode also featured taped cameos from Yogi Berra and Dave Winfield in “Ballplayers,” which Crystal has called one of his favorite “SNL” works.

Deion Sanders (Feb. 18, 1995; musical guest Bon Jovi)

“Neon Deion” was on top of the world. His San Francisco 49ers had just won the Super Bowl, he was still under contract with the Cincinnati Reds as a two-sport athlete, and as he approached NFL free agency, Sanders was ready to help a new team.

“We’ve practiced hard all week,” he said in his monologue. “The cast is in tip-top shape: even [Chris] Farley.”

Deion brought expected flash and sizzle to a show where Farley reprised his spot-on impression of Phillies first baseman John Kruk. Farley’s John Goodman also roasted the Mets during a faux ESPY awards – always an easy late-night punch line of the era.

George Steinbrenner (Oct. 20, 1990; musical guest The Time)

“The Boss” and “SNL” -- a couple of 1970s New York arrivals who quickly became larger-than-life pillars of the city. Steinbrenner’s episode aired the same night the Reds defeated the Athletics to complete a World Series sweep. That prompted Steinbrenner to quip in his monologue: “At 11:15 tonight, I bought the Cincinnati Reds.”

There’s a great sketch, “Carl’s Quik-Stop,” in which Steinbrenner plays a convenience store owner who can’t bring himself to dismiss an underperforming employee, played by Kevin Nealon.

“It’s just, I can’t. I can’t fire people! It’s not in my nature,” Steinbrenner said.

Billy Martin (May 24, 1986; musical guest George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic)

Co-hosting the Season 11 finale with actress Anjelica Huston, the then-Yankees manager played a role in a pivotal turning point for “SNL,” with the show at a crossroads amid a mismatched cast and flagging ratings (cue the “Saturday Night Dead” headlines).

After being “fired” late in the show during a sketch in which Martin is dressed convincingly as Kentucky Fried Chicken pitchman Colonel Sanders, Martin sets the cast ablaze – save for breakout star Jon Lovitz, whom SNL producer Lorne Michaels rescues. Who else would survive? Viewers would find out in October. (Most of the cast did not return.)

SKETCHES & IMPRESSIONS

'Baseball Dreams Come True'
A sketch so ridiculous, it inspired a 2022 oral history. On Dec. 13, 1997, 15 active players wandered out of Chris Kattan’s closet, most in uniform – Todd Hundley, Scott Rolen, Mark Wohlers, Marty Cordova, Jeff Fassero, Gregg Jefferies, Mark Grudzielanek, Rondell White, Todd Zeile, Russ Davis, Cliff Floyd, Gerald Williams, Mike Sweeney, David Howard and Pedro Borbon, Jr.

Harry Caray
Will Ferrell’s nonsensical impression of the lovable Cubs broadcaster remains a fan favorite. In one appearance, Caray memorably asks Norm MacDonald: “If you were a hot dog and you were starving, would you eat yourself? I know I would.” Caray’s chat with Jeff Goldblum’s astrophysicist character in “Space: The Infinite Frontier,” is also a quotable classic.

'Big Papi'
You can mark the passing of time at SNL by following Kenan Thompson's David Ortiz impression. Thompson has portrayed “Big Papi” from his Red Sox years to retirement and now into the Hall of Fame. Is anyone hungry for mofongo? Thompson’s spot-on Ortiz is always down for a “big Dominican lunch.”

'Nomahhhh'
Nomar Garciaparra’s name was frequently included in the “Boston Teens” sketches, featuring Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch gushing over their love for “Nomahhhh.” That led to a cameo for the Red Sox shortstop, which aired on Oct. 14, 2000.

Chico Escuela
Escuela is arguably the most famous Met never to play for the team. Garrett Morris played a retired player who frequently repeated the catchphrase “Baseball been berry, berry good to me" and wrote a tell-all book, “Bad Stuff ‘Bout the Mets.” In 1979, SNL documented Escuela’s unsuccessful comeback attempt, including clubhouse interviews with Bill Murray.

'Go, Cubs, Go'
Speaking of Murray, he’s one of the few celebrities to enjoy all-access passes to both 30 Rock and Wrigley Field. In November 2016, shortly after the Cubs’ first World Series victory in 108 years, Murray joined Cubs players Anthony Rizzo, David Ross and Dexter Fowler at the Weekend Update desk for a spirited rendition of, “Go, Cubs, Go!”