Given MLB players’ notoriety, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that some of the game’s more familiar faces have shown up on hit TV shows here and there. And, many of these appearances have taken place in sitcoms where their funny side can be seen by millions. Here’s a look at five of the most memorable appearances by MLB players in hit TV shows over the years.
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Wade Boggs in Cheers
Ted Danson’s character in the show Cheers was Sam Malone, a former Red Sox pitcher turned bar owner. Given Malone’s fictitious history with the team, one might wonder whether a real Boston Red Sox showed up on the show. The answer to that question is yes.
Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs showed up during the sixth season of Cheers in 1988, in what was the first of several notable appearances the former third baseman made on TV shows. Boggs has appeared through the years in The Simpsons, Arli$$, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Family Guy.
Dave Winfield in The Drew Carey Show
Comedian Drew Carey is a well-known fan of Cleveland sports teams, and that was made clear in The Drew Carey Show. So, it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that a former Cleveland Indian (now known as the Guardians) made an appearance on the show. Although, it’s not someone that baseball fans would likely associate with Cleveland.
Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield made an appearance in the Season 1 episode entitled “Science Names Suck.” The show aired in 1995, which was Winfield’s lone season with the Indians. It was also the last of his 22-year career, one that saw him just .191/.285/.287 with two home runs over 46 games.
The Mets in Everybody Loves Raymond
Several former Mets made an appearance in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which featured comedian Ray Romano playing fictitious sportswriter Ray Barone. During the episode “Big Shots,” 1969 World Series champions Tug McGraw, Art Shamsky, Cleon Jones, Jerry Grote, and Bud Harrelson all made appearances on the show.
The episode featured Ray and his brother Robert (Brad Garrett) trying to be “big shots,” but neither of them had any luck whatsoever.
Keith Hernandez in Seinfeld
Seinfeld fans are likely very familiar with the two-part episode that featured Mets legend Keith Hernandez. The episodes featured Hernandez getting close to comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a strange romance with Elaine (Julie Louis-Dreyfuss), and Kramer and Newman holding back a years-long grudge against Hernandez.
Hernandez wasn’t the only former MLB player to appear on the show. Former Yankees Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Danny Tartabull also showed up on Seinfeld, as did ex-Yankees skipper Buck Showalter.
MLB All-Stars in The Simpsons
In what might have been the most hysterical between TV comedies and baseball, The Simpsons‘ episode “Homer at the Bat” featured Mr. Burns’ quest to create an unstoppable softball team to win a $1MM bet.
Rather than use Homer Simpson and the gang, Mr. Burns constructed an all-star team that included Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Steve Sax, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Scioscia, Ozzie Smith, Don Mattingly, Roger Clemens, and Ken Griffey Jr. But at the end of the day, Homer was the star of the show.